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There is hardly a person who has not been a victim of manipulation at least once. No matter how smart and educated we may consider ourselves, everyone will remember how more than once or twice he succumbed to the persuasion of a fraudster - for example, in the guise of a gypsy or a psychic, fell under the influence of advertising or political propaganda. And it's good if you can just forget an unpleasant episode, but sometimes it affects our lives quite seriously. nine0006

A typical example. Two friends who once studied together at a prestigious Moscow university, then worked in the same IT company, were family friends - modern people, with a mathematical mindset, skeptical, ironic - suddenly suddenly became enemies. Almost any conversation now ended in mutual attacks, insults, screams. Eventually they stopped talking altogether. And it all started with the fact that just during the period of the Ukrainian events in 2014, one worked for six months in the Kiev branch of the company, watched Ukrainian television and listened to local radio, while the other remained in Moscow and received information from Russian sources. When they met, each was convinced that the other had been brainwashed. And they were both right. nine0006

In order to keep a clear head, prevent discord in relationships with loved ones, and not start massively “destroying” friends in social networks, it is important to learn how to resist suggestion and manipulation. And for this it is worth understanding how the brainwashing mechanism works.

How it works

For the first time the term brainwashing was used in his sensational article, published in 1950 in the Miami News, by a journalist (and at the same time an employee of the CIA propaganda department) Edward Hunter. He literally translated into English the Chinese expression "si-nao" - "brainwash": this is how they spoke about the methods of forced persuasion, which eradicated the "feudal" mentality of the Chinese, brought up in the pre-revolutionary era. nine0006

Later, it was described in detail how during the Korean War of 1951-1953, which was fought between two Koreas - South (among its allies was the United States) and North (on its side the Chinese army fought), the Chinese Communists in the camps they controlled for prisoners of war achieved profound behavioral changes in American soldiers, how the individuality of a person was destroyed by psychological and physical influence, his whole worldview was changed.

At first, the "object" was isolated from the familiar environment and alternative sources of information, so that the old attitudes and beliefs were not reinforced from the outside. Then came the turn of vital needs: a person was deprived of food, sleep, basic amenities. Very soon, he became weak-willed and helpless: if basic needs are not satisfied, values ​​and beliefs willy-nilly fade into the background. When the victim was physically and spiritually exhausted and became completely dependent on the "owners", they were inspired by new "truths". For good behavior - a rejection of previous views - they gradually gave out food, allowed to sleep, improved conditions. Gradually, the person accepted the new value system and agreed to cooperate. nine0006

When manipulating mass consciousness, physical methods are not used, but the same “three-component” mechanism is used: turn off the rational (reduce critical thinking), cause fear (create a threat), hook on the “hook of a rescuer” (offer a way out).

Turn off the ratio

Usually we perceive the received information quite critically - it is common for a person to instinctively resist the new, not to take anything for granted. We scrutinize the shoes we're about to buy, sniff the food before we put it in our mouths, be suspicious of the news: "Come on, that doesn't happen." But when zombified, our ratio no longer works, and we are ready to believe in anything. Criticism is “turned off” in our country, and we begin to operate with images and “facts” of artificially created and imposed on us social mythology. As Kozma Prutkov said, “many people are like sausages: what they stuff them with, they carry in themselves.” nine0006

It has been proved that it is even easier to fool us as a group than individually. Communicating, we influence each other, become infected with other people's emotions. Panic is especially contagious.

Influencing one person requires special professionalism, and in the masses, infection occurs instantly - it is difficult to "walk right" when everyone around is "walk left."

The crowd effect works even if each of us sits in a separate apartment, but at the same time watches the same TV show. nine0006

Cause fear

How do you turn an adult rational person into a trusting child? Threatening his basic needs. The harshest example is the brainwashing of American prisoners in Korean camps or people who have fallen into sects. Paradoxically, the same method is used in advertising. Of course, we are not deprived of food, water or sleep, but we are immersed in an imaginary world of lack of the most necessary things: the more talented the advertisement, the more reliable the images of people exhausted by lack of sleep, sexual frustration, hunger, thirst, the faster we turn into a “frightened child” and obey the power of the one who will deliver us from torment. nine0006

The main thing is to make us afraid in any way. Intimidated people will do anything, even if it is not profitable for them. For example, it is enough just to say the spell "international terrorism" - and we no longer protest when we are searched at the airport, forced to take off our shoes and turn out our pockets.

Manipulation of consciousness involves playing on feelings, turning to fears and prejudices, and any of us have them. National stereotypes and myths are played out. Every nation fears or hates something. For example, for Russians behind the word "fascism" - millions of dead, hatred of enemies, something very terrible. And context doesn't matter anymore. We are told: “Here it is, fascism!” - and immediately the door to the subconscious opens, fears come to life, our pain points become actual. This technique works flawlessly on people with a more developed right hemisphere, emotionally receptive. nine0006

They hit the target and "dead words". In propaganda, these are “fascists”, “bombing”, “junta”. In advertising - "insomnia", "pain", "thirst". The gypsy woman has a different set: "conspiracy to death", "crown of celibacy", "family curse". It is as if we are being driven into a narrow space where there is no place for argumentation, where labels, infantile phrases are used, where reality is explained by simple formulas. "Dead Words" is not designed for critical perception. They must trigger a certain emotional reaction: anxiety, a sense of threat. nine0006

Don't think that this is possible in one country and not in another. Of course, somewhere people are generally “more mature”, more rational, they are better aware of their rights and obligations, and somewhere they are more infantile, suggestible, living with myths, emotions, with a “childish” consciousness. Our people are more of a "childish" type. Over the years, we and our parents have developed the habit of “walking in formation” and absolutely trusting the media: if they wrote in the newspaper or said on TV, then it is so. In addition, we are a repeatedly “wounded” nation, we have many real fears that have settled in the subconscious: famine, repressions, revolutions, wars. We had to experience a lot of things from which it is difficult to escape, but which are very easy to influence. nine0006

Introduce the rescue hook

We have been frightened, deprived of self-control and the ability to think critically. And now, when we already feel like a victim and are looking for salvation, a “rescuer” appears to us - and we are ready to fulfill any of his orders.

This technique is well developed among the Gypsies. More than once people came to me for psychotherapeutic receptions, from whom the gypsies pulled out all the money. "How so? They didn’t threaten me with a knife or a pistol, ”they were surprised in hindsight. And the focus is simple. First, the gypsy wins over the victim. Then he suddenly “notices” damage, the crown of celibacy, the evil eye and a terrible disease. Anyone will be frightened, and in a state of passion, we are easily suggestible. At this moment, the gypsy turns into a “rescuer”: “It’s easy to help your grief. This is the evil eye of the envious. Gild the pen...” And the victims give them everything voluntarily. nine0006

When faced with difficulties, we look for simple answers and strive to remedy the situation with simple actions, including those that are completely unreasonable. In advertising, “salvation” is also always offered through pseudo-logic, building a false causal relationship between phenomena: drink this coffee - you will become rich, chew this gum - girls will like it, wash it with this powder - and the husband will never leave for another.

Propaganda "works" the same way. They frighten us with what we are truly afraid of: wars, fascism, the junta, the dead, the wounded. nine0006

And against the backdrop of all this nightmare, they show - this is the way of salvation: for example, to create a strong state that will protect, which the rest are afraid of.

Brainwashing techniques

Distraction

How does a gypsy distract attention? First, a meaningless phrase: “Don’t tell me how to get through ...” Then a sharp change in topic, intonation: “Oh, girl, I can see by your face that you will have two coffins in your family!”, “Oh, sufferer, your husband cheats, and you know the lovebird. Changing the topic throws the victim into confusion, the ability to think is turned off, the subconscious reacts to "dead words". nine0006

For propaganda, as for any other kind of manipulation, it is important to suppress the psychological resistance to suggestion. If, at the time of transmission of the message, the attention of the addressee is diverted from its content, then it is difficult to comprehend it and find counterarguments. And counterarguments are the basis of resistance to suggestion.

In what ways are our attention diverted? Information kaleidoscope. TV shows are usually built like this: short stories replace one another, interspersed with announcements, advertisements, frames flash, a line with additional news runs at the bottom. At the same time, important information is diluted with rumors from the life of celebrities, from the world of fashion, etc. In ten minutes of viewing, so many images flash before our eyes that it is impossible to concentrate on anything. This kaleidoscope of disparate information, which we are not able to comprehend and process, is perceived as a whole. Our attention is scattered, criticality is reduced - and we are open to any "garbage". nine0006

Topic fragmentation. If information needs to be introduced into consciousness without causing resistance, it is split into parts - then it becomes more difficult to comprehend the whole. It seems that everyone reported - one earlier, the other later, but in such a way that it is difficult to concentrate and understand what really happened.

Sensational and urgent. When we are bombarded with "urgent", "sensational" news, informational noise, passions and nervousness reduce our criticality, and we become more suggestible. Our brain works at high speed, it increasingly turns on the "autopilot", and we begin to think in stereotypes, ready-made formulas. In addition, we are forced to rely on the information offered, there is simply no time to check it - and it is easier for the manipulator to convert us to the "correct" faith. nine0006

Focus on the secondary. It is also very easy to distract us from the disturbing social problems. The announcer will talk about the new law, which will lead to a serious decrease in the standard of living, as something of no particular importance. But arguments about a ban on the import of lacy underwear or the story of a giraffe that was fed to lions in a Danish zoo will be washed out by all media.

To divert our attention from reality, from what is really important to us, we need to offer something in return. The media can dictate what we think about by imposing their agenda for discussion. They throw the ball to us, and we recklessly try to grab it and “play”, forgetting about pressing problems. nine0006

Illusion of authenticity

The strongest emotional response creates a feeling of authenticity of events.

Presence effect. The film "Apocalypse Now" shows how news stories are filmed. "Run without looking back, as if you were at war!" the director demands. And people run, bend down, noise, explosions, everything is as it really is. Of course, there is honest journalism, and reporters often risk their lives, but such tricks are not uncommon, especially when it comes to propaganda. nine0006

Eyewitnesses. "Eyewitnesses" in the news are not much different from "eyewitnesses" in advertising. Here is a young woman, stammering, with ostentatious uncertainty, tells how her son, playing football, soiled his T-shirt, and she washed it. In the news, supposedly random people are interviewed, and from their words a semantic and emotional series is formed, which must be introduced into our consciousness. The strongest impression is made by crying old people, children, young invalids.

October 19In the 1990s, the world media spread the news: according to a 15-year-old Kuwaiti girl, Iraqi soldiers pulled babies out of the maternity hospital and threw them on the cold floor to die - the girl saw it with her own eyes. The girl's name was withheld for security reasons. During the 40 days before the invasion of Iraq, President Bush repeatedly recalled this story, and the US Senate, when discussing future military action, also referred to this fact.

Later it turned out that the girl was the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador to the United States, and the rest of the "witnesses" were prepared by the Hill & Knowlton PR agency. But when the troops were already brought in, no one cared about the truth. nine0006

A similar story on Russian television with a “witness” story about how a boy was crucified, and his mother was tied to a tank and dragged until she died, was made according to the same scheme: there is no documentary filming, the illusion of reliability is based on the words of “eyewitnesses ".

Anonymous authority. His name is not given, the documents cited are not shown - it is assumed that references to authority add credibility. “Scientists, on the basis of many years of research, have established ...” - which scientists? "Doctors recommend toothpaste ..." - what kind of doctor? "A source from the president's inner circle, who wished to remain anonymous, reports...", etc. Such information is most often pure propaganda or hidden advertising, but the source is unknown and the journalists are not responsible for the lies. nine0006

Halo effect. Popular people - actors, athletes, musicians - often become "agents of influence": they convince fans of what they themselves do not really understand. They are skillfully used by politicians and advertisers, because it is known that if a person is an authority for us in one thing, then we are ready to believe him in another.

Substitution

One of the most important methods of brainwashing is the substitution of one fact or phenomenon for another, often with a completely opposite sign. nine0006

Create associations. The essence of the reception is to bind a certain object to what the mass consciousness perceives as unequivocally bad or good. One side says: fascists. Other: terrorists. Such metaphors enable associative thinking and save our intellectual efforts. We are being driven into yet another propaganda trap. And so, instead of comprehending the essence of the problem, we cling to these associations, false analogies and metaphors. This is how our brain is arranged: at every opportunity it tries not to do unnecessary work. nine0006

In fact, associations and metaphors rarely make things clear. For example, we are told: "Putin is like Peter the Great." We are hinted that we know what the times of Peter and the results of his activities really were. “Ah, well, I understand,” we agree, although in fact we don’t understand anything.

When information is associated with known facts, phenomena, people whom we perceive positively, a positive emotional transfer occurs.

Messages are often reinforced with video. For example, we are told about something, and on the screen - Hitler, the Nazis, the swastika, everything that causes fear and disgust in us. The information itself has nothing to do with German Nazism, but in our minds one has already grappled with the other. nine0006

A conditioned reflex connection is also used. Say, one event (a person, a product) is presented as good, another as bad. When they talk about good things, the background is an optimistic, pleasant melody that we all love. If they show “bad”, disturbing music sounds and sad faces flash. Everything: the conditioned reflex circuit is closed.

Sign change. The main purpose of the reception is to call black white and white black, change "plus" to "minus" or vice versa. You can "recolor" any events, call pogroms protest demonstrations, bandits - freedom fighters, mercenaries - volunteers. nine0006

Outright fraud. In order to create the right mood in society, the desired is presented as reality. For example, the news reports that "in the opposition camp, confusion and vacillation", "demand for prestigious offices in the center exceeds supply." And since the majority thinks in stereotypes - "since everyone is talking about it, then it is the way it is." In fact, the "facts" are taken from the ceiling.

In elections, we are often guided by sociological ratings: we want to vote for the strong, not for the weak. If the average citizen, who strives to be “like everyone else”, creates the feeling that he is in the minority, he will vote for the one with whom the majority is. nine0006

Figures, graphs generally make us believe what we are told: wrinkles disappear by 90%, complexion improves by 30%, the number of people supporting such and such a politician has doubled.

Strengthening

Typical signs of a person's behavior in a crowd are the predominance of situational feelings, loss of responsibility and the ability to think independently, increased suggestibility, easy controllability, etc. All this can be enhanced in many ways: lighting, music, posters. At show programs, mass political events, election concerts, where pop stars shout something like “Vote or lose!”, we become infected with a certain mood - and it is already possible to introduce the necessary information into us. nine0006

Repetition

If we repeat the same thought in simple phrases, we get used to it and begin to consider it our own. What we remember always seems convincing to us, even if the memorization occurred during the mechanical repetition of a commercial or an annoying song. Before the April 1993 referendum, all you could hear on radio and TV was: “Yes, yes, no, yes.” Came to vote. How to answer? Yes, yes, no, yes. Everything, no questions. And today, many will remember this “slogan”, but few will say for what or against what these “Yes, yes, no, yes” were. nine0006

Why do such “miracles” happen? Repetition effectively affects the poorly controlled subconscious and leads to the unconscious assimilation of other people's formulations, thoughts, ideas and views.

Goebbels, the famous brainwashing virtuoso, said: “The masses name the true information that is most familiar. Ordinary people are usually much more primitive than we imagine ... The most outstanding results ... will be achieved by those who are able to reduce problems to the simplest words and expressions and who have the courage to constantly repeat them in this simplified form, despite the objections of highbrow intellectuals. nine0006

In the 1980s, political psychologists Donald Kinder and Shanto Iyengar conducted an experiment. They edited the evening news in such a way as to focus the attention of viewers on one problem, and the rest went in the background: for example, the first group of subjects was told about the weakness of American defense every day, the second was frightened by bad ecology, the third - by growing inflation. As a result, a week later, most of the participants in the experiment were convinced that the problem that was emphasized in “their” news should be addressed by the country in the first place, and they evaluated the current US president by how he copes with it. nine0006

It turns out that the manipulator does not have to fight with the enemy's ideas, it is enough to tirelessly repeat the necessary formulations.

What to do?

First, let's understand what happens to us when we fall under the scope of skilled manipulators. We become uncritical, we think with imposed stereotypes, we are content with simple answers to complex life questions, we believe only in our own truth, we are intolerant of other people's opinions. There is social polarization in society, even the most sensible, reasonable and objective people begin to think bipolar. nine0006

We no longer have time to think, we must quickly decide, urgently take a position.

Each side hears only itself and resents what the opponent says. We seem to close ourselves in an information cocoon and happily catch only “our” information. We stop thinking for ourselves: we start speaking in clichés, repeating remarks from newspapers, television and radio programs. Stamping simple views, simple oppositions destroys the complex reality of life and, in general, the meaning. The result is a split into two warring camps. Meanwhile, the polar truths feed each other, forming a single whole, a kind of symbiosis, because they cannot exist without each other. Bipolar simplification leads to aggression. nine0006

In order not to be manipulated, the main thing is to become an adult. What does it mean? To regain the ability to analyze information, to maintain an unclouded consciousness with a high level of criticality, to abandon simple recipes, because there are many other shades besides black and white. The more difficult a person perceives reality, the less aggression in him.

And, of course, do not be offended by the government, propaganda or advertising. All over the world, rulers and intellectuals are two poles. Power, the state strives for uniformity, the task of the state is to simplify everything, because it is difficult, as Mitterrand said, to manage a nation that knows 300 varieties of cheese. And the intellectual reproduces complexity, his task is not to be afraid of diversity, otherness, to be able to be in the minority and live in conditions of uncertainty, when it is not clear who is “good” and who is “bad”.

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