The Manipulated Mind: Brainwashing, Conditioning and Indoctrination [Hardcover]

Denise Winn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1984

Ever since American prisoners of war in Korea suddenly switched sides to the Communist cause, the concept of brainwashing has continued to fascinate and confuse.

Is it really possible to force any thinking person to act in a way completely alien to his character? What makes so-called brainwashing so different from the equally insidious effects of indoctrination and conditioning, or even advertising and education?Research findings from psychology show that brainwashing is not a special subversive technique; it is the clever manipulation of unrealized influences that operate in all our lives.This book, by breaking down brainwashing to its individual elements, shows how social conditioning, need for approval, emotional dependency, and much else that we are unaware of prevent us from being as self-directed as we think; and conversely, which human traits make us least susceptible to subtle influence.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Denise Winn is a British journalist specializing in psychology and medicine. She is a former editor of the British edition of Psychology Today and has written for national newspapers and magazines in Britain for more than 20 years. She is author of 11 other books on psychological and medical topics and is currently editor of The Therapist.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Excerpted from "The Magic Monastery: Analogical and Action Philosophy of the Middle East and Central Asia" by Idries Shah. Copyright 1972, 1981 by The Estate of Idries Shah. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

DELUSION A would-be disciple said to a sage: 'I have been listening to you for days now, condemning attitudes and ideas, and even conduct, which are not mine and never have been. What is the purpose of this?' The sage said: 'The purpose of it is that you should, at some point, stop imagining that you have not been like any of the things I condemn; and to realize that you have a delusion that you are not like that now.'

Excerpted from "The Magic Monastery: Analogical and Action Philosophy of the Middle East and Central Asia" by Idries Shah. Copyright 1972, 1981 by The Estate of Idries Shah. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

PITCHER LORE Have you heard about the tragedy of the little pitcher? He heard a thirsty man calling for water from his sick-bed in a corner of a room. The pitcher was so full of compassion for the man that by a supreme effort of will he actually managed to roll to within an inch of the sufferer's hand. When the man opened his eyes and saw a pitcher beside him, he was full of wonderment and relief. He managed to pick up the jug and held it to his lips. Then he realized that it was empty. With almost the last remains of his strength, the invalid threw the pitcher against a wall, where it smashed into useless pieces of clay.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 217 pages
• Publisher: Ishk Book Service (July 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 086304025X
• ISBN-13: 978-0863040252
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,960,287 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good overview, nothing else, April 11, 2003

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HappyDaze11 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Manipulated Mind: Brainwashing, Conditioning, and Indoctrination (Paperback)

I am interested in mind control and this came recommended as a good book on the subject. However this book is one long history of research into mind control. The book begins with a general description of the first case of actual mind control as performed on American POW's in Korea, where many were so brainwashed that they openly embraced their captors and communism. It was at this point, the author claims, that it was realized that mind control could occur.

It is from this watershed event, and the data collected therefrom, that all current study of brainwashing and mind control stem. The author then surveys the Pavlov dog experiments, animal research, various large scale experiments involving humans where unbelievable counter intuitive results occur. This book is worth its price just to read about these studies into things like 'the gun effect' where people were actually mroe aggressive to an armed motorist getting stuck on a highway then to an unarmed one.

All in all, this is a general study, somewhat outdated, and is written from English points of view. This is a book you can start with, and then use its extensive bibliography to explore areas that interest you more closely.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Man as a species is creative because `no man is an island', July 3, 2005

By 

Tom Gray (Fort-Coulonge, Quebec Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Manipulated Mind: Brainwashing, Conditioning and Indoctrination (Hardcover)

This book is concerned with brainwashing. However instead of concentrating on the specifics of the techniques used, it presents and analyzes why brainwashing and other forms of conversion are possible. The book extensively quotes from Sargent's seminal studies reported in "Battle for the Mind". Sargent showed how brainwashing and conversion can be traced to a physiological strategy used by the brain to cope with stress. Sargent's insights into this are conclusive but he does to address the question of why this strategy was chosen by evolution and to what purposes it is used. Winn presents results from psychology to show the reasons why as she quotes ' man is a rationalizing animal.' Winn shows how man as a social animal is tuned to adapt to the reality as others find it. Man, as opposed to other animals, has the potential to learn from others and so gives great significance to the knowledge that he finds implicit in the behaviors of others.

Winn's book is a distillation of the research of others. She presents Sargent's ideas but deepens them by putting them in a broader psychological and social perspective. She does not explicitly state this but her book presents the reasons why the capacity for conversion or brainwashing is evolutionarily advantageous. It is a trait that provides us with capacity to create society. Man as a species is creative because `no man is an island'.

This is an excellent book that is well worth reading.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding! Rational and Clear - a must read about Media, August 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Manipulated Mind: Brainwashing, Conditioning, and Indoctrination (Paperback)

A very clear and well written study of the various means that the media uses to manipulate and control the mass 'thinking' and behavior. I read the original hardcover (used) and now that there is an updated paperback I am ordering it. Very rational investigation by a media reporter, well cited and referenced and a pleasant eye-opening reading. Should be required reading for all poly sci, media, and psych majors.