Coordinated programs of coercive influence
 Coordinated programs of coercive influence(Deception)   | |
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| the science of psychological torture applied to masses of people |
The phrase coordinated programs of coercive influence and behavior control was introduced by (military) psychologists Richard Ofshe and Margaret T. Singer [1] to ...
form of influence and social control depends upon the unique historical circumstances under which it was previously studied. Further, and of equal importance, our introduction of a new term is motivated by a desire to separate this analysis from some of the connotations which have become associated with the terms "[[thought reform]]," "coercive persuasion, and "brainwashing." "Brainwashing" is the least satisfactory of the common names for the phenomenon.
It conjures up, at least for the non-professional reader, ideas of mindless automatons deprived of their capacity for decision-making. "Thought reform" is a more neutral term but has an historical connotation linking it to a range of attempts to propagandize, indoctrinate, and re-educate as well as coercively influence and control China's population after Mao's revolution. As generally used, "coercive persuasion" connotes a substantial reliance on physical abuse and imprisonment. It is a term developed to describe procedures used on U.S. and U N. military personnel who were captured during the Korean War.
References
- ↑ Richard Ofshe, Ph.D. and Margaret T. Singer, Ph.D. (1986) Attacks on Peripheral Versus Central Elements of Self and the Impact of Thought Reforming Techniques, Cultic Studies Journal, Volume 3, Issue 1 (avail. online)
