Thought reform

Thought reform

Thought reform is the alteration of a person's basic attitudes and beliefs by outside manipulation. Thought reform may also be induced by the influence of people who are sincere but have been misled themselves. Or it can be induced by an alleged mystical experience or altered state of consciousness. It can also be the consequence of a miracle, either fake or real, staged or spontaneous.

The term is related to brainwashing and mind control. Brainwashing is used when the outside manipulation and influence is very strong. Mind control refers to the manipulation that is necessary to make the 'recruit' keep the adopted beliefs and basic attitudes after they have been altered.

The term is probably due to Dr. Robert Jay Lifton, a professor of psychology and psychiatry at John Jay College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, who wrote an important book Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism:A Study of 'Brainwashing' in China (1961) . Lifton also testified at the 1976 trial of Patty Hearst.

External Links

Lifton's research

See Also

External Links