Brainwashing
From RationalWiki
Brainwashing is a colloquial term used to describe any process that either undermines a person's perceived "free will", or forces them to undergo a substantial personality shift.
Of course, one person's brainwashing is another person's therapy. Is behavioral psychiatry brainwashing? Does it matter if the person signs up for it voluntarily? And, if these are the criteria, how is it different from what a cult does?
The term seems to originate from the Korean War, when many American GIs claimed that the Chinese attempted to force them to renounce America and capitalism. This led to scare movies like The Manchurian Candidate.
It is unknown to what degree a person can actually be "brainwashed". For ethical reasons it is impossible to set up an experiment and test the process.
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