Chapter 5:

Brainwashing?
RELS 225
Cults and New Religious Movements

Brainwashing?
parents want to convince judges that
their children are incompetent
deprogrammers need to defend
themselves against charges of
kidnapping

IS it a real?
if brainwashing is actually taking place,
then NRMs prove to be a public health
risk for society
if brainwashing is false and not actually
taking place, then to interfere with NRMs
on the basis of brainwashing could be an
infringement of their rights and freedoms
theoretically implausible
no longer holds up in USA courts

Phases (Scheins
terminology)
Unfreezing

Create cognitive, emotional, and social

breakdown to make open to suggestion by
sensory deprivation or sensory overload
sensory deprivation and sensory overload

changing

new routines, activities, and rewards

refreezing

immersion into a new stable social

environment

Accusations of
Brainwashing
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Use social-psychological techniques of influence

recruiters taught to target and approach recruits
recruiters taught to be deceptive
potential recruits are pressured to signing up
new recruits are not left alone
recruits are kept busy, and underfed with little
sleep
7. activities take place in isolated environments
8. recruits are "love-bombed"
9. recruits do "confessional" activities
10. recruits are subject to sensory deprivation
11. recruits are subject to hypnosis
12. recruits identity is transformed.

Case Against
Brainwashing
1. research discredited because researchers often generalize. Not
all cults can be lumped together
2. ideological bias
3. no logical or empirical reason only brainwashed would join
NRMs
4. the theories are based on already contradictory ideas of
psychology and human nature
5. dramatic claims are based on anecdotal evidence
6. no legal proof NRMs have held members/recruits against their
will; hard to brainwash without this.
7. sampling bias
8. research dependent on self-descriptions by apostates".
9. shortage of information due to low recruitment rates and high
levels of defection
10. NRM members are not susceptible to brainwashing
11. studies lack safeguards
12. NRMs are not unique in their conversions by deconditioning
and resocialization

Continued appeal to
brainwashing
what some groups do to retain
members
Stephen Kent
Benjamin Zablocki
highexit costs a cult member must
face if he chooses to leave a cult.

How can we explain

behaviour, if not
brainwashing?

Social pressure, hyper

encouragement, organized activity,
and too much enthusiasm
influence and authority to group
centered, charismatic teachings

Review of
Brainwashing
How did the idea develop? Explanation for why people would
join strange religious movements. Defense for those rescuing
them.
Why is it important? If it does happen, NRMs are dangerous. If
it doesnt, rescue attempts should stop.
Phases: Unfreezing, changing , refreezing
Accusations of Brainwashing: sophisticated; preying; deceptive;
pressuring; bombarding; depriving; isolating; love-bombing;
requiring confession; hypnotizing; transforming identity
Case Against Brainwashing: generalizing; biased; unscientific;
contradictory; anecdotal; unsubstantiated; self-descriptive;
uninformed; without controls; unnecessary
Continued appeal to brainwashing: what some groups do to
retain members (Kent & Zablocki) - highexit costs
How can we explain behaviour, if not brainwashing? Social
pressure, hyper encouragement, organized activity, and too
much enthusiasm