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اغتصاب العقل: سيكولوجيا السيطرة على التفكير ولإبادة العقل وغسيل الدماغ
يعتبر الدكتور جوست ميرلو، مؤلف هذا الكتاب، صاحب إنجازات بارزة، وحاز على شهرة عالمية باعتباره مرجعا في الحرب النفسية، وخاصة فيما يتعلق بتقنيات غسيل الدماغ التي تم استكشافها في عمله النموذجي، اغتصاب العقل. وقد رأى د. ميرلو في هذا الكتاب أنه من خلال الضغط على نقاط ضعف معينة في التكوين الإنساني، يمكن للأنظمة الشمولية أن تحول أي شخص إلى "خائن". ويمضي أبعد بكثير فيتحدث عن التأثيرات العسكرية المباشرة للتعذيب العقلي ليصف كيف أن ثقافتنا تظهر، بشكل ليس من السهل ملاحظته، أعراض الضغوط التي تتعرض لها عقول الناس. إنه يقدم تحليلا منهجيا لوسائل غسيل الدماغ والتعذيب العقلي والإكراه، ويصف العصر الجديد، بعصر الحرب الباردة و بالهلع العقلي الذي يميزه والغموض اللفظي والدلالي، وكيفية استخدام الخوف لإخضاع الجماهير، ومشكلتي الخيانة والولاء. و كيف يتم استغلال الصفات الإنسانية للتأثير على العواطف و ممارسة السلطة على أفكار الآخرين.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1956
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About the author
Joost A.M. Meerloo
14books70followersJoost Abraham Maurits Meerloo (March 14, 1903 � November 17, 1976) was a Dutch Doctor of Medicine and psychoanalyst.
Born as Abraham Maurits 'Bram' Meerloo in The Hague, Netherlands, he came to United States in 1946, was naturalized in 1950, and resumed Dutch citizenship in 1972. Dr. Meerloo was a practicing psychiatrist for over forty years. He did staff psychiatric work in Holland and worked as a general practitioner until 1942 under Nazi occupation, when he assumed the name Joost to fool the occupying forces and in 1942 fled to England (after barely eluding death at the hands of the Germans). He was chief of the Psychological Department of the Dutch Army-in-Exile in England.
After the war he served as High Commissioner for Welfare in Holland, and was an advisor to UNRRA and SHAEF. An American citizen since 1950, Dr. Meerloo was a member of the faculty at Columbia University and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the New York School of Psychiatry. He was the author of many books, including Rape of the Mind, the classic work on brainwashing, Conversation and Communication, and Hidden Communion.
He was the son of Bernard and Anna Frederika (Benjamins) Meerloo. He married Elisabeth Johanna Kalf(f), Den Haag, May 16, 1928, divorce Februari 19, 1946. He married Louisa Betty 'Loekie' Duits (a physical therapist), New York, May 7, 1948.
Education: University of Leiden, M.D., 1927; University of Utrecht, Ph.D., 1932.
Meerloo specialized in the area of thought control techniques used by totalitarian regimes.
Born as Abraham Maurits 'Bram' Meerloo in The Hague, Netherlands, he came to United States in 1946, was naturalized in 1950, and resumed Dutch citizenship in 1972. Dr. Meerloo was a practicing psychiatrist for over forty years. He did staff psychiatric work in Holland and worked as a general practitioner until 1942 under Nazi occupation, when he assumed the name Joost to fool the occupying forces and in 1942 fled to England (after barely eluding death at the hands of the Germans). He was chief of the Psychological Department of the Dutch Army-in-Exile in England.
After the war he served as High Commissioner for Welfare in Holland, and was an advisor to UNRRA and SHAEF. An American citizen since 1950, Dr. Meerloo was a member of the faculty at Columbia University and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the New York School of Psychiatry. He was the author of many books, including Rape of the Mind, the classic work on brainwashing, Conversation and Communication, and Hidden Communion.
He was the son of Bernard and Anna Frederika (Benjamins) Meerloo. He married Elisabeth Johanna Kalf(f), Den Haag, May 16, 1928, divorce Februari 19, 1946. He married Louisa Betty 'Loekie' Duits (a physical therapist), New York, May 7, 1948.
Education: University of Leiden, M.D., 1927; University of Utrecht, Ph.D., 1932.
Meerloo specialized in the area of thought control techniques used by totalitarian regimes.
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February 24, 2014
"We live in a world of constant noise which captures our minds even when we are not aware of it."
The above statement is even more true now than it was at the time of first printing and is part of what makes "The rape of the mind: ..." a highly relevant book still even though both the Berlin wall and the Iron curtain has tumbled down by now. The book is important because of the psychology behind those things and the fact that mental contagion and mass delusion are things almost impossible to immunize a people against. It's a frightening wake-up call of a read. And it's devilishly interesting to boot. Meerloo's writing is accessible and flows with ease. I disagree though with his use of the terms fatherland/vs motherland in the connotations applied as well as the hinted tone behind homosexual tendencies when mentioned, also his constant pressure on how individual personality distortions more or less always emmanate from repressed feelings about parental failure/disappointment/treason in the childhood feels like a bit of an oversimplification to me.
That said I think it's a book that in these days of constant media flow should be more or less a mandatory read as it will give you healthy food for thought.
Favorite quotes:
"At this very moment the whole world dances around a delusion, around the magic idea that the material and military power behind an argument will bring us nearer to the truth, and nearer to safety. Yet, one push of the button and the atomic missiles may lead us all to mutual suicide." - p. 207
"Freedom is kept upright by the very presence of opposition - even at the risk of nonconformism and scattered subversions." - p 251
"Democracy is noncomformity; it is mutual loyalty, even when we have to attack one another's ideas - ideas, which, because they are always human, are always incomplete." - p.255
The above statement is even more true now than it was at the time of first printing and is part of what makes "The rape of the mind: ..." a highly relevant book still even though both the Berlin wall and the Iron curtain has tumbled down by now. The book is important because of the psychology behind those things and the fact that mental contagion and mass delusion are things almost impossible to immunize a people against. It's a frightening wake-up call of a read. And it's devilishly interesting to boot. Meerloo's writing is accessible and flows with ease. I disagree though with his use of the terms fatherland/vs motherland in the connotations applied as well as the hinted tone behind homosexual tendencies when mentioned, also his constant pressure on how individual personality distortions more or less always emmanate from repressed feelings about parental failure/disappointment/treason in the childhood feels like a bit of an oversimplification to me.
That said I think it's a book that in these days of constant media flow should be more or less a mandatory read as it will give you healthy food for thought.
Favorite quotes:
"At this very moment the whole world dances around a delusion, around the magic idea that the material and military power behind an argument will bring us nearer to the truth, and nearer to safety. Yet, one push of the button and the atomic missiles may lead us all to mutual suicide." - p. 207
"Freedom is kept upright by the very presence of opposition - even at the risk of nonconformism and scattered subversions." - p 251
"Democracy is noncomformity; it is mutual loyalty, even when we have to attack one another's ideas - ideas, which, because they are always human, are always incomplete." - p.255
July 16, 2015
This is an important book. It's as relevant today as it was when it was written (1957), perhaps more so.
Sadly, the author's warnings have not been heeded.
Democracy has vanished, and we live under a lawless totalitarianism, fortified by mass propaganda, brainwashing, and menticide.
I wonder what the good doctor would say to us today?
Sadly, the author's warnings have not been heeded.
Democracy has vanished, and we live under a lawless totalitarianism, fortified by mass propaganda, brainwashing, and menticide.
I wonder what the good doctor would say to us today?
October 23, 2015
"The modern means of mass communication bring the entire world daily into each man's home; the techniques of propaganda and salesmanship have been refined and systematized; there is scarcely any hiding place from the constant visual and verbal assault on the mind. The pressures of daily life impel more and more people to seek an easy escape from responsibility and maturity."
"He who dictates and formulates the words and phrases we use, he who is master of the press and radio, is master of the mind."
"Big Brother's voice resounds in all the little brothers."
"The totalitarians are very ingenious in arousing latent guilt in us by repeating over and over again how criminally the Western world has acted toward innocent and peaceful people."
"The totalitarian conception of equalization can be realized only in death, when the chemical and physical laws that govern all of us take over completely. Death is indeed the great equalizer."
"Radio and television tend to take away active affectionate relationships between men and to destroy the capacity for personal thought, evaluation, and reflection."
"Only when people have learned to accept individual responsibility can the world be helped by the combined efforts of many individuals."
This was originally written in 1956. I can't imagine what the author would think of our world today.
Very thought-provoking. A little repetitive.
"He who dictates and formulates the words and phrases we use, he who is master of the press and radio, is master of the mind."
"Big Brother's voice resounds in all the little brothers."
"The totalitarians are very ingenious in arousing latent guilt in us by repeating over and over again how criminally the Western world has acted toward innocent and peaceful people."
"The totalitarian conception of equalization can be realized only in death, when the chemical and physical laws that govern all of us take over completely. Death is indeed the great equalizer."
"Radio and television tend to take away active affectionate relationships between men and to destroy the capacity for personal thought, evaluation, and reflection."
"Only when people have learned to accept individual responsibility can the world be helped by the combined efforts of many individuals."
This was originally written in 1956. I can't imagine what the author would think of our world today.
Very thought-provoking. A little repetitive.
February 2, 2020
ما يميز تجربة الدكتور جوست ميرلو هو أنه خاض فعليا أدوار متعددة في حياته أتاحت له فهما وبصيرة أكبر من مجرد معرفة نظرية وليس العيان كالبيان.
فهو عاش دور المواطن في بلد محتل و دور المعتقل لدى النازيين و دور الهارب الذي سيكون قادرا كرئيس قسم الامراض النفسية للقوات الهولندية في إنجلترا على ممارسة أبحاثه على الضحايا و الجلادين، ثم تأتي هجرته الى أمريكا التي يعكف فيها على استكمال مسيرته كطبيب وباحث حتى اضحى خبيرا في مجاله.
يعتبر كتاب اغتصاب العقل الذي صدرت طبعته الأولى عام 1956 م أشهر أعمال جوست ابراهام ماوريتز ميرلو (1903-1976) الطبيب و عالم التحليل النفسي الهولندي الأميركي
عمر الكتاب فوق السبعين سنة ويا للعجب فهو يبدو لقارئه كأنه قد صدر حديثا في عهد الانفجار المعلوماتي وشبكات التواصل الاجتماعي وهذا يعود ربما لأنه يركز على المبادئ التي لا يغيرها الزمن
.........................................................................................................................................
اقتباسات _بتصرف_ من الكتاب (من النصف الأول للكتاب):
........................................................................................................................................
(يمكن استخدام كل المعرفة اما للخير أو للشر وبالتالي فإن علم النفس ليس محصنا ضد هذا القانون العام)
(فقد قام علم النفس بتسليم الانسان وسائل جديدة للتعذيب والتطفل على العقل)
(كم و كم من ضحايا الاستخدام الشيطاني للمعرفة الطبية والتقنية النفسية )
(لقد كان الانسان مبدعا و بشكل هائل و مرعب في نفس الوقت في تطوير وسائل الحاق المعاناة برفاقه وأقرانه.)
(كان الرجال الذين جرت محاكمتهم في السابق بشراً، ولكنهم الآن قد تم تغييرهم وبشكل منهجي إلى دمى. ومحرك هذه الدمى هو من يضع قوانين حركة وحديث وأفعال تلك الدمى بل والتلاعب بمشاعرهم.)
(لم يكن الألم الجسدي المباشر هو الذي يكسر إرادة الناس بل الاذلال المستمر والتعذيب الذهني)
(حقيقة قبيحة: يمكن كسر روح معظم الرجال, و يمكن أن ينخفض مستوى الأداء الإنساني لدى المعتقلين إلى مستوى السلوك الحيواني..! وحيث أن الجلاد و الضحية يفقدان كل كرامة الانسان, و على حد سواء!!)
(لا أحد يستطيع أن يتنبأ لنفسه بكيفية تعامله مع موقف ما, عندما يتم استدعاؤه للاختبار)
(تنتهي الديموقراطية والحرية حيث تبدأ العبودية والخضوع للمخدرات والكحول...أي انسان يهرب من الواقع من خلال استخدام الكحول والمخدرات لم يعد مواطنا حراً)
(كان النازيون قادرين في كثير من الأحيان من تحويل مقاتلي المقاومة الشجعان إلى متعاونين وديعين .. وهذا يمكن أن يفسر بأنها لم تكن مقاومة ناجحة.. ويعود السبب الأول في ذلك إلى أن معظم أولئك الأفراد المقاومين السريين كانوا على استعداد للقيام بالأعمال الوحشية التي عوملوا بها.)
(آليات الحماية الذاتية عادة ما تكون أقوى من الولاء الأيديولوجي. فعندما يكون على الانسان أن يختار بين الموت والتعذيب أو الاستسلام المؤقت لأوهام العدو فإن آليات الحفاظ على الذات ستعمل بطرق عديدة وستساعده على العثور على ألف مبرر وعذر للاستسلام للضغط النفسي............لا أحد من الذين لم يواجهوا هذه المشكلة المريرة بأنفسهم يمكن أن يكون له رأي موضوعي حول ما سيفعله هو نفسه في حال تعرضه لمثل تلك الظروف.)
(الكلام.. هو سيد الصحافة والراديو، وهو سيد العقل. )
(كما وأنه في استراتيجية العالم بافلوف يمكن في نهاية المطاف من استبدال قوة الرعب بمنظومة جديدة لوسائل الاتصال.
كما ويمكن توزيع الآراء الجاهزة، ويوما بعد يوم, من خلال الصحافة والإذاعة و هكذا مرارا وتكرارا...يزرعون نمطا ثابتا من التفكير في الدماغ...وبالتالي فإن الرأي العام الموجه هو النتيجة)
(لقد جعلت استراتيجية العالم بافلوف في العلاقات العامة الناس يسألون أنفسهم بشكل أكثر: " ما الذي يفكر به الاخرون؟ " ونتيجة لذلك يتم انشاء وهم مشترك: حيث يحرض الناس على التفكير فيما يفكر به الاخرون وبالتالي قد ينتشر الرأي العام في تحيز جماعي.)
(من الصعب للغاية الهروب من الاقتراحات المتكررة في الحياة اليومية حتى عندما يرفضها العقل النقدي... وقد يحتج الانسان بوعي، و لكن الاقتراحات و المواضيع التي تتلى مرارا و تكرارا سوف تترسب في نظامه العقلي... انه أمر غبي)
(يرمز الإعلان الى فن جعل الناس غير راضين عما لديهم)
(مهندسو الرأي العام: حملة الدعاية المتقنة اما لفكرة سياسية أو لشيء أعمق يمكن ان تنجح في بيع الجمهور أي فكرة أو سلعة و أية شخصية سياسية يريد المرء أن ينتخبها.....وبالتالي فإن خطر هذه الإعلانات ذات الضغط العالي هو ان الطرف الذي يدفع اكثر يمكن ان يصبح مؤقتا على الأقل الشخص الذي يمكنه التأثير على الناس للشراء أو التصويت لما قد لايكون في مصلحتهم الحقيقية......سوف تتحول الأفكار الى كليشيهات عقيمة ومبسطة ...وسوف نظل نتوهم بأننا نتمتع بالأصالة و التفرد في رؤانا... "إرادة الشعب".."إرادة الجماهير"...)
..................................................................................................................
الكتاب مهم وأنصح به
لكن هناك تحفظ على الترجمة و الأخطاء المطبعية....أحيانا تبدو مثل ترجمة جوجل...أحيانا يبدو السهو واضحا حتى أن المترجم استخدم كلمة (الانترنت!!!) في ترجمته لأحد المقاطع مع أن الكتاب طبع لأول مرة 1956م وهو ما دعاني لمراجعة النص الأصلي باللغة الانجليزية الذي بالطبع كان برهاناً على سرحان المترجم
فهو عاش دور المواطن في بلد محتل و دور المعتقل لدى النازيين و دور الهارب الذي سيكون قادرا كرئيس قسم الامراض النفسية للقوات الهولندية في إنجلترا على ممارسة أبحاثه على الضحايا و الجلادين، ثم تأتي هجرته الى أمريكا التي يعكف فيها على استكمال مسيرته كطبيب وباحث حتى اضحى خبيرا في مجاله.
يعتبر كتاب اغتصاب العقل الذي صدرت طبعته الأولى عام 1956 م أشهر أعمال جوست ابراهام ماوريتز ميرلو (1903-1976) الطبيب و عالم التحليل النفسي الهولندي الأميركي
عمر الكتاب فوق السبعين سنة ويا للعجب فهو يبدو لقارئه كأنه قد صدر حديثا في عهد الانفجار المعلوماتي وشبكات التواصل الاجتماعي وهذا يعود ربما لأنه يركز على المبادئ التي لا يغيرها الزمن
.........................................................................................................................................
اقتباسات _بتصرف_ من الكتاب (من النصف الأول للكتاب):
........................................................................................................................................
(يمكن استخدام كل المعرفة اما للخير أو للشر وبالتالي فإن علم النفس ليس محصنا ضد هذا القانون العام)
(فقد قام علم النفس بتسليم الانسان وسائل جديدة للتعذيب والتطفل على العقل)
(كم و كم من ضحايا الاستخدام الشيطاني للمعرفة الطبية والتقنية النفسية )
(لقد كان الانسان مبدعا و بشكل هائل و مرعب في نفس الوقت في تطوير وسائل الحاق المعاناة برفاقه وأقرانه.)
(كان الرجال الذين جرت محاكمتهم في السابق بشراً، ولكنهم الآن قد تم تغييرهم وبشكل منهجي إلى دمى. ومحرك هذه الدمى هو من يضع قوانين حركة وحديث وأفعال تلك الدمى بل والتلاعب بمشاعرهم.)
(لم يكن الألم الجسدي المباشر هو الذي يكسر إرادة الناس بل الاذلال المستمر والتعذيب الذهني)
(حقيقة قبيحة: يمكن كسر روح معظم الرجال, و يمكن أن ينخفض مستوى الأداء الإنساني لدى المعتقلين إلى مستوى السلوك الحيواني..! وحيث أن الجلاد و الضحية يفقدان كل كرامة الانسان, و على حد سواء!!)
(لا أحد يستطيع أن يتنبأ لنفسه بكيفية تعامله مع موقف ما, عندما يتم استدعاؤه للاختبار)
(تنتهي الديموقراطية والحرية حيث تبدأ العبودية والخضوع للمخدرات والكحول...أي انسان يهرب من الواقع من خلال استخدام الكحول والمخدرات لم يعد مواطنا حراً)
(كان النازيون قادرين في كثير من الأحيان من تحويل مقاتلي المقاومة الشجعان إلى متعاونين وديعين .. وهذا يمكن أن يفسر بأنها لم تكن مقاومة ناجحة.. ويعود السبب الأول في ذلك إلى أن معظم أولئك الأفراد المقاومين السريين كانوا على استعداد للقيام بالأعمال الوحشية التي عوملوا بها.)
(آليات الحماية الذاتية عادة ما تكون أقوى من الولاء الأيديولوجي. فعندما يكون على الانسان أن يختار بين الموت والتعذيب أو الاستسلام المؤقت لأوهام العدو فإن آليات الحفاظ على الذات ستعمل بطرق عديدة وستساعده على العثور على ألف مبرر وعذر للاستسلام للضغط النفسي............لا أحد من الذين لم يواجهوا هذه المشكلة المريرة بأنفسهم يمكن أن يكون له رأي موضوعي حول ما سيفعله هو نفسه في حال تعرضه لمثل تلك الظروف.)
(الكلام.. هو سيد الصحافة والراديو، وهو سيد العقل. )
(كما وأنه في استراتيجية العالم بافلوف يمكن في نهاية المطاف من استبدال قوة الرعب بمنظومة جديدة لوسائل الاتصال.
كما ويمكن توزيع الآراء الجاهزة، ويوما بعد يوم, من خلال الصحافة والإذاعة و هكذا مرارا وتكرارا...يزرعون نمطا ثابتا من التفكير في الدماغ...وبالتالي فإن الرأي العام الموجه هو النتيجة)
(لقد جعلت استراتيجية العالم بافلوف في العلاقات العامة الناس يسألون أنفسهم بشكل أكثر: " ما الذي يفكر به الاخرون؟ " ونتيجة لذلك يتم انشاء وهم مشترك: حيث يحرض الناس على التفكير فيما يفكر به الاخرون وبالتالي قد ينتشر الرأي العام في تحيز جماعي.)
(من الصعب للغاية الهروب من الاقتراحات المتكررة في الحياة اليومية حتى عندما يرفضها العقل النقدي... وقد يحتج الانسان بوعي، و لكن الاقتراحات و المواضيع التي تتلى مرارا و تكرارا سوف تترسب في نظامه العقلي... انه أمر غبي)
(يرمز الإعلان الى فن جعل الناس غير راضين عما لديهم)
(مهندسو الرأي العام: حملة الدعاية المتقنة اما لفكرة سياسية أو لشيء أعمق يمكن ان تنجح في بيع الجمهور أي فكرة أو سلعة و أية شخصية سياسية يريد المرء أن ينتخبها.....وبالتالي فإن خطر هذه الإعلانات ذات الضغط العالي هو ان الطرف الذي يدفع اكثر يمكن ان يصبح مؤقتا على الأقل الشخص الذي يمكنه التأثير على الناس للشراء أو التصويت لما قد لايكون في مصلحتهم الحقيقية......سوف تتحول الأفكار الى كليشيهات عقيمة ومبسطة ...وسوف نظل نتوهم بأننا نتمتع بالأصالة و التفرد في رؤانا... "إرادة الشعب".."إرادة الجماهير"...)
..................................................................................................................
الكتاب مهم وأنصح به
لكن هناك تحفظ على الترجمة و الأخطاء المطبعية....أحيانا تبدو مثل ترجمة جوجل...أحيانا يبدو السهو واضحا حتى أن المترجم استخدم كلمة (الانترنت!!!) في ترجمته لأحد المقاطع مع أن الكتاب طبع لأول مرة 1956م وهو ما دعاني لمراجعة النص الأصلي باللغة الانجليزية الذي بالطبع كان برهاناً على سرحان المترجم
June 28, 2015
The book makes some excellent observations on how societies or persons in power try to manipulate and control. It also makes some observations on how people capitulate to these influences that seem credible. The book unintentionally (because it was written in the 1950s) sheds a lot of light on the current cultural-sexual revolution. The information can also be adapted to other situations (how should the Church prepare its young persons to withstand the mental manipulations of secular culture). There are people out there who are paid a lot of money to study and employ tactics of motivation, how to change your mind, how to get you to accept a conclusion while bypassing an argument etc. They are in the commercial industry, but also in the government. Social engineering is big business. Outside of America, we recently witnessed such social engineering in action with the recent vote to make same-sex marriage legal in Ireland. Few people realize that behind this was a massive program of personnel positioning themselves within the government and a pouring in of large amounts of money from a U.S. based organization--Antlantic Philanthropies.
Two weaknesses in the book. (1) The reader has to make modern application himself, since the book is primarily focused on war-time manipulation techniques in WWII. Perhaps it's not fair to say that this is a weakness of the book per se. The author can't help it that his work is a product of it's time. But while we may not fault the book for lacking modern application per se, there is still a bigger problem. (2) The author spends a lot of time theorizing about why these techniques work and on the broader human condition and the author's theorizing is founded upon a misguided worldview, some speculation, and outdated Freudian theories. Thus, when the author stops discussing techniques of manipulation and starts attempting to explain why the manipulation is or is not effective the book becomes less insightful. It would be fascinating to have a more rigorous exploration on the engineering of public-opinion.
Two weaknesses in the book. (1) The reader has to make modern application himself, since the book is primarily focused on war-time manipulation techniques in WWII. Perhaps it's not fair to say that this is a weakness of the book per se. The author can't help it that his work is a product of it's time. But while we may not fault the book for lacking modern application per se, there is still a bigger problem. (2) The author spends a lot of time theorizing about why these techniques work and on the broader human condition and the author's theorizing is founded upon a misguided worldview, some speculation, and outdated Freudian theories. Thus, when the author stops discussing techniques of manipulation and starts attempting to explain why the manipulation is or is not effective the book becomes less insightful. It would be fascinating to have a more rigorous exploration on the engineering of public-opinion.
June 17, 2021
Though written in 50s and somehow outdated, it's a book really worth reading.
Meerloo dives into the science of brainwashing, starting first with the individual and how mental torture, coercion and submission can be achieved at this level, with most examples and anecdotes provided from Nazi Germany and POW camps in Korea (but also few examples from communist China and Russia).
Then he moves into mass brainwashing, and not only in totalitarian regimes but also in supposedly democratic states with the new tools of technology. Of course the technology Meerloo talks about is rather too old now but the principles have not changed at all and you can see now it's done even more efficiently. At times you will find Meerloo's psychology outdated (after all, there's been tremendous progress since then) but as a psychologist at the time, he makes a very good attempt to expose the workings of totalitarianism (in some ways, it reminds me on the fascinating book of Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, though of course this one is not as thorough and rather have a psychology focus.)
Meerloo dives into the science of brainwashing, starting first with the individual and how mental torture, coercion and submission can be achieved at this level, with most examples and anecdotes provided from Nazi Germany and POW camps in Korea (but also few examples from communist China and Russia).
Then he moves into mass brainwashing, and not only in totalitarian regimes but also in supposedly democratic states with the new tools of technology. Of course the technology Meerloo talks about is rather too old now but the principles have not changed at all and you can see now it's done even more efficiently. At times you will find Meerloo's psychology outdated (after all, there's been tremendous progress since then) but as a psychologist at the time, he makes a very good attempt to expose the workings of totalitarianism (in some ways, it reminds me on the fascinating book of Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, though of course this one is not as thorough and rather have a psychology focus.)
August 4, 2015
Chapter 9 - Fear as a Tool of Terror
The Fear of Living
In our era the fear aroused by human relationships is so strong that inertia and mental death often seem more attractive than mental alertness and life. Classical psychology often spoke of the fear of death and the great unknown as the cause of many anxieties, but modern psychological studies have shown us that the fear of living is a much greater, deeper, and more frightening one.
Living often seems beyond our power. Stepping out of a relatively safe childish dependence into freedom and responsibility is both hazardous and dangerous. Living demands activity and spontaneity, trial and error, sleeping and reawakening, competition and cooperation, adaptation and reorientation. Living involves manifold relationships, each of which has thousands of implications and complications. Living takes us away from the dream of being protected and demands that we expose our weaknesses and strengths daily to our fellow men, with all their hostilities as well as their affections. It requires us to build up useful defenses and then to replace them with others because we have to change our goals and our relationships. It expects us to be lonely in order to cooperate in freedom. It asks us to submit and to conquer, to adjust and to rebel. It robs us of our childhood slumber of satisfaction, and of the magic, omnipotent fantasies of our infancy. Living requires mutuality of giving and taking. Above all, to live is to love. And many people are afraid to take the responsibility of loving, of having an emotional investment in their fellow beings. They want only to be loved and to be protected; they are afraid of being hurt and rejected. We can see this clearly in the fact that so many people embrace so fervently all the limitations and frustrations of life that are offered them-the neurotic limitations of the usual prejudices or the totalitarian limitations imposed by power politics. In his book Escape from Freedom, Erich Fromm describes clearly how the pressures of freedom, when they are not balanced by responsibility and understanding, can drive men into the totalitarian frame of mind and into surrender of their hard-won liberties. Such surrender is nothing less than a slow mental death.
The Fear of Living
In our era the fear aroused by human relationships is so strong that inertia and mental death often seem more attractive than mental alertness and life. Classical psychology often spoke of the fear of death and the great unknown as the cause of many anxieties, but modern psychological studies have shown us that the fear of living is a much greater, deeper, and more frightening one.
Living often seems beyond our power. Stepping out of a relatively safe childish dependence into freedom and responsibility is both hazardous and dangerous. Living demands activity and spontaneity, trial and error, sleeping and reawakening, competition and cooperation, adaptation and reorientation. Living involves manifold relationships, each of which has thousands of implications and complications. Living takes us away from the dream of being protected and demands that we expose our weaknesses and strengths daily to our fellow men, with all their hostilities as well as their affections. It requires us to build up useful defenses and then to replace them with others because we have to change our goals and our relationships. It expects us to be lonely in order to cooperate in freedom. It asks us to submit and to conquer, to adjust and to rebel. It robs us of our childhood slumber of satisfaction, and of the magic, omnipotent fantasies of our infancy. Living requires mutuality of giving and taking. Above all, to live is to love. And many people are afraid to take the responsibility of loving, of having an emotional investment in their fellow beings. They want only to be loved and to be protected; they are afraid of being hurt and rejected. We can see this clearly in the fact that so many people embrace so fervently all the limitations and frustrations of life that are offered them-the neurotic limitations of the usual prejudices or the totalitarian limitations imposed by power politics. In his book Escape from Freedom, Erich Fromm describes clearly how the pressures of freedom, when they are not balanced by responsibility and understanding, can drive men into the totalitarian frame of mind and into surrender of their hard-won liberties. Such surrender is nothing less than a slow mental death.
June 24, 2013
The most intelligent, realistic, honest and well-documented book on mind control, brainwashing and hypnosis. We experience the application of the proven techniques throughout our civilization, as carefully applied by secret agencies who forward to NWO agenda.
September 21, 2021
أتعجب من أفول نجم هذا الكتاب مقارنة بكتاب آخر مثل الإنسان والبحث عن معنى، فكلاهما صدر في نفس الحقبة تقريبًا (في أعقاب الحرب العالمية الثانية وأهوالها) وكلاهما خُط بيدي عالمي نفس شهدا من المآسي وذاقا من ويلات الأسر والحرب ما جعلهما شاهدين على حدود الطاقة البشرية ونقاط انهيارها، ليس في أنفسهما فقط، بل في عشرات أو حتى مئات المعتقلين وأسرى الحرب الذين تعاملا معهم وعاصر كليهما أتون الحربين العالميتين.. إلا أن الكتاب الذي بين يديك لم يكتب على عجل (كُتب الإنسان والبحث عن معنى في تسعة أيام فقط انكب فيهما فيكتور فرانكل على سرد تجربته عقب خروجه من المعتقل مباشرة) ولم يقتصر مؤلفه على تناول تأثير ويلات الحروب وقهر المعتقلات ومناهج الطغيان على الفرد فحسب، بل تناول بذكاء ثاقب تأثيرها على الجماهير في ظل الحكومات الشمولية المستبدة ووسائلهم في كيفية السيطرة عليها، وستدرك بنفسك إنه بعد مرور قرابة سبعة عقود على صدور الكتاب، مازالت الطرق التي بين دفتي هذا الكتاب هي نفس وسائل النظم التي تؤسس للطغيان في شتى بقاع الأرض حتى يومنا هذا.
أمتعني هذا الكتاب إلى الدرجة التي جعلتني أقول مازحًا لأحد أصدقائي أنه ينبغي عليَّ دفع المال لدار النشر لقاء ترجمته لا العكس! فعندما اجتمعت بصيرة وعلم المؤلف مع الحقبة التاريخية المهمة التي وصل فيها العالم إلى الذروة تطبيق الشمولية بنظاميها الأشهر الشيوعي والنازي، جعل من هذا الكتاب وثيقة مهمة للكيفية التي يمكن أن تتشكل بها عقول أجيال متعاقبة، وذلك بسوء استخدام حيل نفسية تلعب على مشاعر دفينة قابعة داخل كل منا. وفي هذا اللون من المؤلفات، لا شيء يلفت الانتباه بقدر معرفة شتى النتائج التي تصل إليها النفس البشرية تحت وطأة القهر والتعذيب الممنهج والظلم، أما ما يسترعي الانتباه أكثر فهو النتائج الكارثية التي يمكن أن تؤول إليه شعوب بأكملها إذا ما جرى ترويعها بهذه الأساليب، وإذا ما سخرت كل أشكال الإعلام والتعليم والثقافة والتزييف العلمي خدمة لأهداف هذه أنظمة شمولية.
لم يكتفي المؤلف د. جوست ميرلو بوصف الحالة فقط، بل أعطى علاجًا ناجعًا يمكن للأمم الحرة والعادلة أن تحصن به نفسها ضد هذا السرطان الشمولي الذي قد يصيبها في أي وقت. وذلك بطرحه لحلول على المستويين الفردي والجماعي، تجعل من هذا الكتاب من وجهة نظري المتواضعة دليلاً إرشاديًا مهمًا لكل فرد، وكل أمة.
أمتعني هذا الكتاب إلى الدرجة التي جعلتني أقول مازحًا لأحد أصدقائي أنه ينبغي عليَّ دفع المال لدار النشر لقاء ترجمته لا العكس! فعندما اجتمعت بصيرة وعلم المؤلف مع الحقبة التاريخية المهمة التي وصل فيها العالم إلى الذروة تطبيق الشمولية بنظاميها الأشهر الشيوعي والنازي، جعل من هذا الكتاب وثيقة مهمة للكيفية التي يمكن أن تتشكل بها عقول أجيال متعاقبة، وذلك بسوء استخدام حيل نفسية تلعب على مشاعر دفينة قابعة داخل كل منا. وفي هذا اللون من المؤلفات، لا شيء يلفت الانتباه بقدر معرفة شتى النتائج التي تصل إليها النفس البشرية تحت وطأة القهر والتعذيب الممنهج والظلم، أما ما يسترعي الانتباه أكثر فهو النتائج الكارثية التي يمكن أن تؤول إليه شعوب بأكملها إذا ما جرى ترويعها بهذه الأساليب، وإذا ما سخرت كل أشكال الإعلام والتعليم والثقافة والتزييف العلمي خدمة لأهداف هذه أنظمة شمولية.
لم يكتفي المؤلف د. جوست ميرلو بوصف الحالة فقط، بل أعطى علاجًا ناجعًا يمكن للأمم الحرة والعادلة أن تحصن به نفسها ضد هذا السرطان الشمولي الذي قد يصيبها في أي وقت. وذلك بطرحه لحلول على المستويين الفردي والجماعي، تجعل من هذا الكتاب من وجهة نظري المتواضعة دليلاً إرشاديًا مهمًا لكل فرد، وكل أمة.
July 4, 2023
تزعجني كلمة اغتصاب..
وددت لو الكاتب استخدم كلمة أقل وقعًا وأخف حدة، لكن يبدو أنها الأقرب لوصف وسائل غسيل الدماغ والتعذيب العقلي والإكراه التي تستخدمها الأنظمة الشمولية في فترة كتابة هذه الكتاب
ممتع في تحليل هذه الوسائل .. مرعب في التفكير فيها.
وددت لو الكاتب استخدم كلمة أقل وقعًا وأخف حدة، لكن يبدو أنها الأقرب لوصف وسائل غسيل الدماغ والتعذيب العقلي والإكراه التي تستخدمها الأنظمة الشمولية في فترة كتابة هذه الكتاب
ممتع في تحليل هذه الوسائل .. مرعب في التفكير فيها.
March 13, 2018
This book, first published in 1956, describes the various tactics used by Totalitarian states, and explores why some people stand up to them better than others. It discusses brainwashing, menticide (a term coined by the author), attaining false confessions, and the gamut of tactics of mental submission -- be they active or passive in nature and whether they target individuals or the whole of society. The author, Joost Meerloo, was a Dutch psychiatrist who fled the Nazis, served as a Colonel and psychiatric expert in the Dutch military-in-exile during the Second World War, and then immigrated to the United States where he taught at Columbia University and continued his research on this subject.
The first question a reader might have is whether the book is worth reading, given that it was written so long ago and so many books have come since. In other words, does it hold up? It’s true that it’s a little bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, there’s occasional referencing of psychoanalytic notions that have fallen out of favor (e.g. Freudian ideas.) On the other hand, I found the section on technology as a means of indoctrination and mass manipulation to be even truer now than it was at the time. Meerloo was only thinking about radio and television, and couldn’t have imagined how technologies are being infused with lessons from neuroscience to make them, quite literally, addictive -- or how even mass media is being tailored to appeal to various groups (granted this seems to be more demand driven, but its nefarious potential is apparent.)
I believe this book is a worthwhile read even more than sixty years later. The author had a lot of personal interaction with individuals affected by these tactics, and there is a great deal of insight. The value of the personal insight far outweighs the influence of any outmoded thinking. Further, I would say that the book is an interesting and informative read even if one isn’t interested in North Korea or any of the few other blatantly authoritarian nations still around today. If one is interested in questions such as why so many people can believe incorrect notions in the face of overwhelming evidence, this book provides food-for-thought on the topic. Even if one’s government is not authoritarian, in-groups may use some of these same tactics to influence members’s thinking.
While the book is famous for discussing the cases of the American soldiers brainwashed during the Korean War (i.e. the basis of the “Manchurian Candidate� novel and original movie [1962,]) Joost uses many examples from the Nazis -- including a little of his personal experience -- as well as Cold War stories (generally focusing on the Soviets, but touching upon the Totalitarian-style tactics of McCarthyism.) There are famous cases like Cardinal Mindszenty, but many lesser known cases with which the reader is unlikely to be familiar.
The book’s eighteen chapters are divided into four parts. Part I (chapters 1 through 4) expounds upon the tactics used to cause individuals to submit. Meerloo discusses how false confessions are elicited using techniques from Pavlov’s classical conditioning to drugs to manipulation by doctors to playing on the subject’s guilt. It should be pointed out that a central idea in this book is that it’s just a matter of time. It’s an idea that’s revisited later in the book when considering the ethics of sentencing for treason and when evaluating how to best train soldiers to hold out as prisoners of war. It’s true that some individuals are much more resistant to these techniques but no one holds out forever. One can become more robust to interrogation, but the idea is to do so in the hope that one can outlast the enemy.
Part II (ch. 5 to 9) discusses techniques for mass submission. This dives into how totalitarian leaders affect thinking by controlling semantics, the information available to the public, and by using fear through various methods including the surveillance state and show trials. One key concept is how having spies everywhere isn’t necessarily about gaining information so much as keeping the populace in fear so as to influence their behavior. It creates a steady state prisoner’s dilemma in which one never knows whether someone is going to roll over on one for his or her own benefit.
Part III (ch. 10 to 14) continues on the theme of mass compliance but with a focus on “unobtrusive coercion.� Running a totalitarian state isn’t all about torture, truth serum, and having spies everywhere. There is a soft power component to totalitarianism. This section explores this side of the coin with special attention to the roles of technology and bureaucracy. These chapters also consider how education and child development can be a tool of the dictator or authoritarian regime, and how indoctrination about concepts of treason and loyalty can be exploited by totalitarian governments.
Part IV (ch. 15 through 18) considers how individuals and societies can make themselves more robust against authoritarian tactics. This section delves into how members of democratic societies might best think about concepts of loyalty and treason in light of the fact that even the most stoic soldiers and spies can be weakened given enough time. There is one chapter that mirrors material in part III, except that instead of discussing how totalitarian systems use education to weaken and manipulate, this one suggests how education might be used to make a society of individuals less vulnerable to authoritarian arguments and tactics. This is also where Meerloo offers analysis of what traits tend to make one more robust to brainwashing and other totalitarian tactics and why.
There is no ancillary matter (i.e. graphics, appendices, notes, or bibliography) in the edition that I read. However, I can’t say that it was missed. The author uses many cases and anecdotes to make the book interesting to read, and much of it comes from the author’s personal knowledge.
I found this book intriguing, and would recommend it. As I mentioned earlier, one needn’t be exclusively interested in Nazi Germany, Stalinist Soviet Union, or countries like the DPRK (N. Korea) to find this book interesting. Sadly, the book has a lot to say of relevance to individuals in modern-day democracies.
The first question a reader might have is whether the book is worth reading, given that it was written so long ago and so many books have come since. In other words, does it hold up? It’s true that it’s a little bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, there’s occasional referencing of psychoanalytic notions that have fallen out of favor (e.g. Freudian ideas.) On the other hand, I found the section on technology as a means of indoctrination and mass manipulation to be even truer now than it was at the time. Meerloo was only thinking about radio and television, and couldn’t have imagined how technologies are being infused with lessons from neuroscience to make them, quite literally, addictive -- or how even mass media is being tailored to appeal to various groups (granted this seems to be more demand driven, but its nefarious potential is apparent.)
I believe this book is a worthwhile read even more than sixty years later. The author had a lot of personal interaction with individuals affected by these tactics, and there is a great deal of insight. The value of the personal insight far outweighs the influence of any outmoded thinking. Further, I would say that the book is an interesting and informative read even if one isn’t interested in North Korea or any of the few other blatantly authoritarian nations still around today. If one is interested in questions such as why so many people can believe incorrect notions in the face of overwhelming evidence, this book provides food-for-thought on the topic. Even if one’s government is not authoritarian, in-groups may use some of these same tactics to influence members’s thinking.
While the book is famous for discussing the cases of the American soldiers brainwashed during the Korean War (i.e. the basis of the “Manchurian Candidate� novel and original movie [1962,]) Joost uses many examples from the Nazis -- including a little of his personal experience -- as well as Cold War stories (generally focusing on the Soviets, but touching upon the Totalitarian-style tactics of McCarthyism.) There are famous cases like Cardinal Mindszenty, but many lesser known cases with which the reader is unlikely to be familiar.
The book’s eighteen chapters are divided into four parts. Part I (chapters 1 through 4) expounds upon the tactics used to cause individuals to submit. Meerloo discusses how false confessions are elicited using techniques from Pavlov’s classical conditioning to drugs to manipulation by doctors to playing on the subject’s guilt. It should be pointed out that a central idea in this book is that it’s just a matter of time. It’s an idea that’s revisited later in the book when considering the ethics of sentencing for treason and when evaluating how to best train soldiers to hold out as prisoners of war. It’s true that some individuals are much more resistant to these techniques but no one holds out forever. One can become more robust to interrogation, but the idea is to do so in the hope that one can outlast the enemy.
Part II (ch. 5 to 9) discusses techniques for mass submission. This dives into how totalitarian leaders affect thinking by controlling semantics, the information available to the public, and by using fear through various methods including the surveillance state and show trials. One key concept is how having spies everywhere isn’t necessarily about gaining information so much as keeping the populace in fear so as to influence their behavior. It creates a steady state prisoner’s dilemma in which one never knows whether someone is going to roll over on one for his or her own benefit.
Part III (ch. 10 to 14) continues on the theme of mass compliance but with a focus on “unobtrusive coercion.� Running a totalitarian state isn’t all about torture, truth serum, and having spies everywhere. There is a soft power component to totalitarianism. This section explores this side of the coin with special attention to the roles of technology and bureaucracy. These chapters also consider how education and child development can be a tool of the dictator or authoritarian regime, and how indoctrination about concepts of treason and loyalty can be exploited by totalitarian governments.
Part IV (ch. 15 through 18) considers how individuals and societies can make themselves more robust against authoritarian tactics. This section delves into how members of democratic societies might best think about concepts of loyalty and treason in light of the fact that even the most stoic soldiers and spies can be weakened given enough time. There is one chapter that mirrors material in part III, except that instead of discussing how totalitarian systems use education to weaken and manipulate, this one suggests how education might be used to make a society of individuals less vulnerable to authoritarian arguments and tactics. This is also where Meerloo offers analysis of what traits tend to make one more robust to brainwashing and other totalitarian tactics and why.
There is no ancillary matter (i.e. graphics, appendices, notes, or bibliography) in the edition that I read. However, I can’t say that it was missed. The author uses many cases and anecdotes to make the book interesting to read, and much of it comes from the author’s personal knowledge.
I found this book intriguing, and would recommend it. As I mentioned earlier, one needn’t be exclusively interested in Nazi Germany, Stalinist Soviet Union, or countries like the DPRK (N. Korea) to find this book interesting. Sadly, the book has a lot to say of relevance to individuals in modern-day democracies.
November 9, 2023
كتاب رائع، مثير، ولا يكاد قارئه أن يرغب في مفارقته!
في أول يوم لي مع الكتاب، طويت منه مائة وثلاثين صفحة، بينما كنت أدوّن الملاحظات والاقتباسات، وأشاركها مع الأصدقاء!
الكاتب طبيب نفسي هولندي عاصر الحرب العالمية الثانية، وتعرض، هو بنفسه، لتجارب كثيرة وفظيعة مع النازيين، عندما احتلوا هولندا. وكان ذلك من العوامل التي جعلت الكتاب أكثر إثارة للاهتمام بالنسبة لي.
لأكون صادقا، فإني لم أجد الكتاب كما كنت أتوقع أو أتمنى أن يكون عليه. إذ هو ركّز على "السيطرة على التفكير وإبادة العقل وغسل الدماغ" في الأنظمة الشمولية، وف�� ظروف الاعتقال والتحقيق خصوصا. بينما كنت أتمنى الحالات الأكثر شيوعا وعموما من ذلك. وقد تطرق إليها فعلا، ولكن التركيز الأكبر كان على الأنظمة الشمولية وظروف الاعتقال والتحقيق فيها.
الترجمة جيدة، ولكن تحتاج لبعض التدقيق. أما المراجع، فكما يقولون بلهجتنا الدارجة: "حلاته ساكت"! إذ لم يصف شيئا ذا قيمة في هوامشه غير الضرورية، وغير الكثيرة أيضا.
في أول يوم لي مع الكتاب، طويت منه مائة وثلاثين صفحة، بينما كنت أدوّن الملاحظات والاقتباسات، وأشاركها مع الأصدقاء!
الكاتب طبيب نفسي هولندي عاصر الحرب العالمية الثانية، وتعرض، هو بنفسه، لتجارب كثيرة وفظيعة مع النازيين، عندما احتلوا هولندا. وكان ذلك من العوامل التي جعلت الكتاب أكثر إثارة للاهتمام بالنسبة لي.
لأكون صادقا، فإني لم أجد الكتاب كما كنت أتوقع أو أتمنى أن يكون عليه. إذ هو ركّز على "السيطرة على التفكير وإبادة العقل وغسل الدماغ" في الأنظمة الشمولية، وف�� ظروف الاعتقال والتحقيق خصوصا. بينما كنت أتمنى الحالات الأكثر شيوعا وعموما من ذلك. وقد تطرق إليها فعلا، ولكن التركيز الأكبر كان على الأنظمة الشمولية وظروف الاعتقال والتحقيق فيها.
الترجمة جيدة، ولكن تحتاج لبعض التدقيق. أما المراجع، فكما يقولون بلهجتنا الدارجة: "حلاته ساكت"! إذ لم يصف شيئا ذا قيمة في هوامشه غير الضرورية، وغير الكثيرة أيضا.
May 6, 2024
This is a must read for all Patriots, Parents and anyone who prefers the tempestuous sea of liberty to the calm of despotism that the cucked and timid men seem so desperate to cling to. This book is timeless and particularly timely while the whole world is being propagandized into never ending wars and never ending boosters of experimental, inefficacious mRNA spike protein gene editing therapies sourly mislabeled vaccines. Luckily I accidentally astral projected in yoga one day to my deathbed, so already know I die in the Cyborg Wars circa 2043. I also accidentally had a Kundalini Awakening sungazing at 95 sunsets in a row in 2018 and have been fully aware of the Anti-Human, Ai agenda ever since. I was an atheist, democrat married to the cruelest Kansas democrat on earth. God told me to Get Out among other downloads and my life has been a mystical journey ever since. Thankfully I grew up on Richard Pryor cassette tapes I still have memorized. One bit he did was why black folks aren't in horror movies. He said if a black man walked into a possessed house and a demon said, "Get Out", he would say, "Okay" and the movie is over. I took The Makers advice that day too and got TF out. Though not nearly as drastic and clear as my sungazing days, I continue to receive nudges and downloads and follow The Spirit that Moves Through All Things. Because of research I know what tech is capable of and where it's headed. I rarely look at screens, except to write reviews and make memes for the Resistance. While nearly everyone else constantly stares at their Ai minder, addicted to digital dopamine, I read books, pray, meditate and forage in the forest that now surrounds the ranch I live on with my well armed Patriot Wife, happily ever after.
April 2, 2020
Because of my amazement at how so many people can support and take such awful positions and opinions, I surmised that there must be some sort of intentional mind control or opinion influence going on. Much like what is done to sell a product. There must be puppeteers working the strings that has resulted in such blatant divisions, open hostility, racist resurgence, and political totalitarianism. So, I searched for material that would give me more information how this can be. How the process works. I chose the right book. From historical examples and explanations from WW2 and Korean war of brainwashing and psychological attacks, to Pavlovian theory and its continued application on mass population influence and conditioning, to political conditioning, totalitarian practices of thought control and menticide, it is all in this book. The material in this book could easily cover a college course or multiple courses. It will reinforce my belief that all we think, believe, or assume to be true, our positions on a vast amount of subjects, should constantly be questioned. The question is, is that my thought, my opinion, my deducted appraisal, or have I been fooled by the never ending barrage of verbal conditioning, political conditioning, mass media manipulation, or hypnotized by the daily noises we are bombarded with 24/7. This is happening and I see large parts of the population that have succumbed to it to become little more that automatons. This the only book in many years I took notes on.
July 14, 2021
Safety is the first thing that comes to mind after reading this book. Dr Meerloo emphatically stresses the importance of a healthy sense of inner security that lowers our risk of succumbing to the universally tempting doctrine that comes from the totalitarian. This book breaks down how corrosive propaganda is to our psyches both personally and collectively.
Anyone seeking to truly understand why the cult of Trump is happening, why the left not only seems helpless, but also worsens the condition this book is for you.
A sense of safety is the backbone of democracy that helps us stand up to tyranny.
Anyone seeking to truly understand why the cult of Trump is happening, why the left not only seems helpless, but also worsens the condition this book is for you.
A sense of safety is the backbone of democracy that helps us stand up to tyranny.
August 15, 2015
If you think the liberal media is brainwashing people, READ THIS BOOK.
If you think Fox News is brainwashing people, READ THIS BOOK.
Then take a step back and decide for yourself who is actually exhibiting more of the tendencies of dictators described by Dr. Meerloo.
If you think Fox News is brainwashing people, READ THIS BOOK.
Then take a step back and decide for yourself who is actually exhibiting more of the tendencies of dictators described by Dr. Meerloo.
September 6, 2022
كتاب قديم ومتحيِّز ضدّ الشيوعيين والصينيين والكوريين والنازيين، وأفكاره قديمة. الآن، أنا مقتنع، بأن قراءةَ كتب قديمة في علم النفس هي مضيعة للوقت والجهد، فيما عدا الكتّاب الكبار، كفرويد ويونگ وآدلر، الذين وأن قَدِمَتْ نظرياتهم، فنظراتهم الثاقبة ملهمة وذكيّة.
July 2, 2019
Excellent textbook companion to Orwell's "1984". Surprisingly, it dived really really deep on all the methods of thought control, with an insightful focus in P.O.W.s.
January 9, 2025
“You too would confess.�
As relevant today as it was when first published (1956), The Rape of the Mind is an exceptional read that highlights the psychological principles at work when a person is being interrogated, coerced, tortured physically and mentally, pushed to the edge of death, and 'educated' or indoctrinated to surrender to totalitarian ideas/regime/personalities/groups, etc.
Picked this up mainly to understand how advertisements and the modern techworld leads to brainwashing of a subtler kind, and a sort of menticide or 'mental rape' in which we're led to conspire against our better judgments (can one consent to being raped?). But while I did find enough to satisfy that curiosity, there's much more on the susceptibility of the mind to conditioning (which is always going on) and the methods that totalitarian regimes, and even seemingly-benign governments and leaders, employ.
Of particular interest were the interrogative methods that play upon our inner ambivalence of feeling over ideas of responsibility, maturity, freedom, servitude, authority, etc. and the inner guilt and shame we harbor because of that, which leads to false confessions, scapegoating, transference and purging of those feelings, and suffering for imagined transgressions) - all of which are used to investigate the soul under duress by the ‘totalitarian� both within and without.
I also quite liked the discussion on how one's childhood and adolescence and the dynamics within families and social groups play such a huge role in determining whether or not a person will generate dictatorial tendencies (be it at a personal or social level) or more submissive predilections. Of course, several other factors are also at work, such as one's personality, the inner conviction and adherence to higher purposes, the conception of one's freedom, etc. They shed light on one's true courage and integrity when tested in times of hardship, war, deprivation, prison camps, autocratic personalities, and whims of oneself and others - and the realization that remaining steadfast under such unGodly circumstances rarely has anything to do with one's outer strength or intelligence.
Just like the corrosion of nonfreedom that limits and standardizes the human soul, freedom - or total freedom - is equally destructive. People can just as easily crumble under the weight of their freedom and give it up when they're unable to live with it or use it for growth and their dedication towards a higher goal or purpose.
This particular edition was effed up, riddled with punctuation errors, formatting inconsistencies, etc. and not worth owning. I'd suggest try another publication.
As relevant today as it was when first published (1956), The Rape of the Mind is an exceptional read that highlights the psychological principles at work when a person is being interrogated, coerced, tortured physically and mentally, pushed to the edge of death, and 'educated' or indoctrinated to surrender to totalitarian ideas/regime/personalities/groups, etc.
Picked this up mainly to understand how advertisements and the modern techworld leads to brainwashing of a subtler kind, and a sort of menticide or 'mental rape' in which we're led to conspire against our better judgments (can one consent to being raped?). But while I did find enough to satisfy that curiosity, there's much more on the susceptibility of the mind to conditioning (which is always going on) and the methods that totalitarian regimes, and even seemingly-benign governments and leaders, employ.
Of particular interest were the interrogative methods that play upon our inner ambivalence of feeling over ideas of responsibility, maturity, freedom, servitude, authority, etc. and the inner guilt and shame we harbor because of that, which leads to false confessions, scapegoating, transference and purging of those feelings, and suffering for imagined transgressions) - all of which are used to investigate the soul under duress by the ‘totalitarian� both within and without.
I also quite liked the discussion on how one's childhood and adolescence and the dynamics within families and social groups play such a huge role in determining whether or not a person will generate dictatorial tendencies (be it at a personal or social level) or more submissive predilections. Of course, several other factors are also at work, such as one's personality, the inner conviction and adherence to higher purposes, the conception of one's freedom, etc. They shed light on one's true courage and integrity when tested in times of hardship, war, deprivation, prison camps, autocratic personalities, and whims of oneself and others - and the realization that remaining steadfast under such unGodly circumstances rarely has anything to do with one's outer strength or intelligence.
Just like the corrosion of nonfreedom that limits and standardizes the human soul, freedom - or total freedom - is equally destructive. People can just as easily crumble under the weight of their freedom and give it up when they're unable to live with it or use it for growth and their dedication towards a higher goal or purpose.
This particular edition was effed up, riddled with punctuation errors, formatting inconsistencies, etc. and not worth owning. I'd suggest try another publication.
September 8, 2021
Published in the mid-Twentieth Century it is now, perhaps, somewhat dated. However, The Rape of the Mind (menticide) is a powerful exploration of Freudian Depth Psychology and Totalitarianism. Right up there with Hannah Arendt's work.
A must-read for our troubled times.
Highly Recommended.
A must-read for our troubled times.
Highly Recommended.
January 15, 2018
Maybe it is not the best book on the topic, there are definitely more significiant and more applicable (up-to-date books), but I just like how this one is written - the structure, the condensation of ideas, the clarity and delivery of thought, the choice of the words. This is the first time I read also the table of contents! Healthy, down to Earth book (no hysteria, no speculation) for mature, (mentaly) introspective humans.
"As in all mass media, we have to be aware of the hypnotizing, seductive action of any all-penetrating form of communication. People become fascinated even when they do not want to look on. We must keep in mind that every step in personal growth needs isolation, needs inner conversation and deliberation and a reviewing with the self. Television hampers this process and prepares the mind more easily for collectivization and cliche thinking. It persuades onlookers to think in terms of mass values. It intrudes into family life and cuts off the more subtle interfamilial communication
The world of tomorrow will witness a tremendous battle between technology and psychology. It will be a fight of technology versus nature, of systematic conditioning versus creative spontaneity. The veneration of the machine implies the turning of mechanical knowledge into power, into push-button power. Mechanical instruments of destruction such as the H-bomb have translated the primitive human urge for destruction into large-scale scientific killing. Now, this destructive potential may become an easy tool for any potentate crazy for power. Driven by technology, our own world has become more interdependent, and through our dependence on technical knowledge and devices, we ourselves are in danger of delivering our people to the more brutal totalitarians. This is the actual dilemma of our civilization. The machine that became a tool of human organization and made possible the conquest of nature, has acquired a dictatorial position. It has forced people into automatic responses, into rigid patterns and destructive habits."
"As in all mass media, we have to be aware of the hypnotizing, seductive action of any all-penetrating form of communication. People become fascinated even when they do not want to look on. We must keep in mind that every step in personal growth needs isolation, needs inner conversation and deliberation and a reviewing with the self. Television hampers this process and prepares the mind more easily for collectivization and cliche thinking. It persuades onlookers to think in terms of mass values. It intrudes into family life and cuts off the more subtle interfamilial communication
The world of tomorrow will witness a tremendous battle between technology and psychology. It will be a fight of technology versus nature, of systematic conditioning versus creative spontaneity. The veneration of the machine implies the turning of mechanical knowledge into power, into push-button power. Mechanical instruments of destruction such as the H-bomb have translated the primitive human urge for destruction into large-scale scientific killing. Now, this destructive potential may become an easy tool for any potentate crazy for power. Driven by technology, our own world has become more interdependent, and through our dependence on technical knowledge and devices, we ourselves are in danger of delivering our people to the more brutal totalitarians. This is the actual dilemma of our civilization. The machine that became a tool of human organization and made possible the conquest of nature, has acquired a dictatorial position. It has forced people into automatic responses, into rigid patterns and destructive habits."
Want to read
June 28, 2021Available online through internet archive....
This book was referenced in the following article from May 2021...
December 19, 2014
An abysmal book on a fascinating subject. So full of repetitions, the book itself seems to be some kind of brainwashing or torture. The writer constantly has to refer to shallow freudian concepts like "the infant in our brain". Very shallow understanding of the psychology. Would not recommend.
August 5, 2020
Very intriguing
If you are interested in psychology at all this book is a must read. Eye opening, though provoking, and very interesting to see how the vast majority of what this book talks about is playing out in front of your face.
If you are interested in psychology at all this book is a must read. Eye opening, though provoking, and very interesting to see how the vast majority of what this book talks about is playing out in front of your face.
September 22, 2023
بصراحة لم اقدر على إيجاد المراجعة والتقييم الصحيح للكتاب
يعني وجدت فيه بعضًا من الحديث الذي اعجبني والبعض الآخر كان لم يعجبني وحتى اقل من الجيد
لكني تحمست لشراءه وقتها ، لعل هذا الحماس قد كان زائدًا
على العموم .. جيد لكن لا انصح به جميع القراء
5/2 ⭐️⭐️
صلوا على النبي ❤️
يعني وجدت فيه بعضًا من الحديث الذي اعجبني والبعض الآخر كان لم يعجبني وحتى اقل من الجيد
لكني تحمست لشراءه وقتها ، لعل هذا الحماس قد كان زائدًا
على العموم .. جيد لكن لا انصح به جميع القراء
5/2 ⭐️⭐️
صلوا على النبي ❤️
September 30, 2022
Author makes wild claims on how the mind works backed up by absolutely nothing. I have no idea why people call this book fascinating or an easy read, because the book was highly repetitive.
September 23, 2023
At the time this book was published, it was probably considered groundbreaking, as the themes which it explores may not have been reported on to the general public prior to WWII. In the 21st century, we are more familiar with the topic of coercion through psychological and physical methods. Overall, the book still maintains its relevance in the current age. There are numerous memorable quotes throughout the book, but I will just provide two that have striking relevance in the past few years:
"[A totalitarian country] is constantly on the alert for social sinners, the critics of the system, and accusation of dissent is equivalent to conviction in the public eye."
"Any accusation, even if it is false, has a greater influence on the citizenry than subsequent vindication. Bills of particular are [made out of lies], especially against former leaders, who have been able to develop some personal esteem and loyalty among their friends and followers."
Sound familiar?
One last quote to ponder: "The moment the judicial process becomes a farce, a show to intimidate the people, something in man's soul is profoundly affected."
"[A totalitarian country] is constantly on the alert for social sinners, the critics of the system, and accusation of dissent is equivalent to conviction in the public eye."
"Any accusation, even if it is false, has a greater influence on the citizenry than subsequent vindication. Bills of particular are [made out of lies], especially against former leaders, who have been able to develop some personal esteem and loyalty among their friends and followers."
Sound familiar?
One last quote to ponder: "The moment the judicial process becomes a farce, a show to intimidate the people, something in man's soul is profoundly affected."
February 26, 2022
First part is insightful, good discussions about totalitarianism. A bit jumbled, but still insightful and scaringly current.
Read
November 29, 2024Audiobook
August 18, 2021
These people had become real experts in suffering. The variety of human reactions under these infernal circumstances taught us an ugly truth: the spirit of most men can be broken, men can be reduced to the level of animal behavior. Both torturer and victim finally lose all human dignity.
Democracy and freedom end where slavery and submission to drugs and alcohol begin. Democracy involves free, self-chosen activity and understanding; it means mature self-control and independence. Any man who escapes from reality through the use of alcohol and drugs is no longer a free agent; he is no longer able to exert any voluntary control over his mind and his actions. He is no longer a self-responsible individual. Alcoholism and drug addiction prepare the pattern of mental submission so beloved by the totalitarian brainwasher.
When I get up in the morning, I turn on my radio to hear the news and the weather forecast. Then comes the pontifical voice telling me to take aspirin for my headache. I have “headaches� occasionally (so does the world), and my headaches, like everyone else’s, come from the many conflicts that life imposes on me. My radio tells me not to think about either the conflicts or the headaches. It suggests, instead, that I should retreat into that old magic action of swallowing a pill. Although I laugh as I listen to this long-distance prescription by a broadcaster who does not know anything about me or my headaches and though I meditate for a moment on man’s servility to the magic of chemistry, my hand has already begun to reach out for the aspirin bottle. After all, I do have a headache.
Some people enjoy strict control and mechanical conditioning of their lives. For them, totalitarianism and thought control are not danger; they bring a kind of eternal day-sleep without responsibility. To these people, freedom is a danger, while dependence is a pleasurable safety. Others loathe any intrusion into their personal freedom and integrity and are continually on the alert to defend themselves against any external pressure—real or fancied.
Democracy and freedom end where slavery and submission to drugs and alcohol begin. Democracy involves free, self-chosen activity and understanding; it means mature self-control and independence. Any man who escapes from reality through the use of alcohol and drugs is no longer a free agent; he is no longer able to exert any voluntary control over his mind and his actions. He is no longer a self-responsible individual. Alcoholism and drug addiction prepare the pattern of mental submission so beloved by the totalitarian brainwasher.
When I get up in the morning, I turn on my radio to hear the news and the weather forecast. Then comes the pontifical voice telling me to take aspirin for my headache. I have “headaches� occasionally (so does the world), and my headaches, like everyone else’s, come from the many conflicts that life imposes on me. My radio tells me not to think about either the conflicts or the headaches. It suggests, instead, that I should retreat into that old magic action of swallowing a pill. Although I laugh as I listen to this long-distance prescription by a broadcaster who does not know anything about me or my headaches and though I meditate for a moment on man’s servility to the magic of chemistry, my hand has already begun to reach out for the aspirin bottle. After all, I do have a headache.
Some people enjoy strict control and mechanical conditioning of their lives. For them, totalitarianism and thought control are not danger; they bring a kind of eternal day-sleep without responsibility. To these people, freedom is a danger, while dependence is a pleasurable safety. Others loathe any intrusion into their personal freedom and integrity and are continually on the alert to defend themselves against any external pressure—real or fancied.
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