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Robert Jay Lifton
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Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of 'brainwashing' in China Paperback – July 31, 1989

by Robert Jay Lifton (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars 179
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Informed by Erik Erikson's concept of the formation of ego identity, this book, which first appreared in 1961, is an analysis of the experiences of fifteen Chinese citizens and twenty-five Westerners who underwent "brainwashing" by the Communist Chinese government. Robert Lifton constructs these case histories through personal interviews and outlines a thematic pattern of death and rebirth, accompanied by feelings of guilt, that characterizes the process of "thought reform." In a new preface, Lifton addresses the implications of his model for the study of American religious cults.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    524 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    The University of North Carolina Press
  4. Publication date
    July 31, 1989
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1.17 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0807842532
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0807842539
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

While exploring the dynamics of Chinese Communist 'thought reform,' Lifton has performed the extraordinary feat of successfully linking . . . distinctly Chinese experiences with universal knowledge about human behavior.--Journal of Asian Studies



Lifton has written a book with the rare virtue of being at once a rich source of information vital to international relations, and an interesting exploration of several aspects of ideology and identity.--Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease

Review

Lifton has written a book with the rare virtue of being at once a rich source of information vital to international relations, and an interesting exploration of several aspects of ideology and identity.--Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The University of North Carolina Press (July 31, 1989)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 524 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0807842532
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0807842539
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.46 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.17 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars 179

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Robert Jay Lifton

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
179 global ratings
Pay attention...
5 Stars
Pay attention...
Pay attention and you'll see the same exact psychological warfare against Western society coming from U.S. government and media literally in this very moment. Terrifying. Gatekeep your mind. Protect and educate your children. Learn as much as you can so you can fight.Good luck.
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Top reviews from the United States

K. Bryant
5.0 out of 5 stars Chilling and Hopeful
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2024
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The initial chapters show a previous depravity closely resembling several current trends in society. Along the way one finds individual moments of resistance and hope.
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NCGuy
5.0 out of 5 stars I suggest you think carefully about what you will read in this book.
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2023
Verified Purchase
As I finished reading this book, I found it chilling the extent to which I see Americans today undergoing their own form of re-education.

First of all, I should point out that Lifton makes it clear that the process of "thought reform" is not as black and white as we'd like to think. In other words, you can't look at a few scary places and say "there is some thought reform" while flippantly brushing away fears for more ordinary times and places. It's really something that varies more by degree with the Chinese cultural revolution being a particular extreme example.

In America today, we see "wokeism" that very forcefully extracts compliance, although it doesn't yet have the same power over the people that was present in the Chinese Cultural Revolution. This power consists of much of the compelled DEI and Critical Race Theory initiatives. Those that resist are encouraged to have "struggle sessions" where they get help seeing their waywardness with the very real threat of an extreme form of ostracization for those that bring attention on themselves but then fail to bow to the pressure.

This book gives us a chance to reflect on what we believe we would like to have been able to have done had we been in the shoes of some of the Chinese intellections being subject to the thought reform, and perhaps strengthen our resolve after having been given some time to mentally prepare ourselves for what may come to any of us at any time.
29 people found this helpful
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L. Hart
5.0 out of 5 stars Real Brainwashing
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2023
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If you're going to read one book about though reform and how communists did it in the past, this is it.
2 people found this helpful
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HAMMERFIST
5.0 out of 5 stars Pay attention...
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2023
Verified Purchase
Pay attention and you'll see the same exact psychological warfare against Western society coming from U.S. government and media literally in this very moment. Terrifying. Gatekeep your mind. Protect and educate your children. Learn as much as you can so you can fight.
Good luck.
Customer image
HAMMERFIST
5.0 out of 5 stars Pay attention...
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2023
Pay attention and you'll see the same exact psychological warfare against Western society coming from U.S. government and media literally in this very moment. Terrifying. Gatekeep your mind. Protect and educate your children. Learn as much as you can so you can fight.
Good luck.
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Customer image
8 people found this helpful
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phil
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2016
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Good read
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Native Oregonian
5.0 out of 5 stars Timely in any age
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2023
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Lifton's work is key to identifying and understanding the methods and modes of the combined psychological manipulation, peer-pressure, and threat of physical violence deployed by a collective in order to make others think, say, and do what the collective wants them to think, say, and do. This book is as relevant today as it ever was.
3 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Religious totalism
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2013
Verified Purchase
Growing up one of Jehovah's Witnesses, some of what Lifton describes in this book I have definitely seen and it really rang true for me. I think his idea of totalism, this internal drive that many (all?) humans have to give themselves over 100+% to something greater than themselves... it's very real and it is something that we should all be aware exists.

Interestingly, I actually found chapter 8 on "Apparent Resisters" to be the part of the book that was most illuminating in my quest to understand the religion I grew up with. I always asked myself, even when I was one, how could JW's be so resistant... how did they resist in concentration camps and gulags, refusing to compromise even a little? I feared that I could never have THAT kind of resolve. Lifton pointed out that those who best resisted the thought reform of the Chinese prison system were those who were most immune to the appeal of totalism, *because they already had a totalistic worldview of their own.* Therefore, the totalism that the communists tried to involve these resisters in was actually perceived as a threat to their already satisfied totalistic impulse, rather than a tempting means to fulfill it.

I'm very grateful to Robert Lifton for this wonderful analysis, this isn't just a book about "brainwashing" in communist China, it's a book about human nature. If you're curious about the more extreme and darker impulses of human nature, read it! And if your curious about high control religious groups, or especially if you are in the process of leaving one yourself, I highly suggest reading it along with his study on Aum Shinrikyo "Destroying the World to Save it".
56 people found this helpful
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Nikolai Stavrogin
5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this and read it immediately.
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2022
Verified Purchase
The media could not be loaded.
 Very easy to read, very accessible. I've read War and Peace twice. I like and am used to difficult text. But a fifth grader could read and understand this.

It's pretty clear to see that that techniques and methods in this book have been perfected to work on society at large, instead of 6-8 people in isolation, using both the media and social media, and implemented in universities in America for a long time now. You can see from the video I've attached just one, tiny, example has worked its way in to our society in the past tenish years. However, it's so much worse than that. As many other reviewers have stated, this is frightening and terrifying to read.
Customer image
Nikolai Stavrogin
5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this and read it immediately.
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2022
Very easy to read, very accessible. I've read War and Peace twice. I like and am used to difficult text. But a fifth grader could read and understand this.

It's pretty clear to see that that techniques and methods in this book have been perfected to work on society at large, instead of 6-8 people in isolation, using both the media and social media, and implemented in universities in America for a long time now. You can see from the video I've attached just one, tiny, example has worked its way in to our society in the past tenish years. However, it's so much worse than that. As many other reviewers have stated, this is frightening and terrifying to read.
Images in this review
Customer image
27 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Lm
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 1, 2020
Verified Purchase
Excellent book
Lifton’s first hand experiences of victims of Chinese thought control is fascinating. His forensic analysis of the stages and impact on ‘the self’ are wonderfully described.
One person found this helpful
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S. Plowright
5.0 out of 5 stars When this book came out in 1961, there was ...
Reviewed in Australia on March 15, 2018
Verified Purchase
When this book came out in 1961, there was a fascination in the West about communist methods of mind control. People imagined the creation of puppet-like agents who would carry out secret missions while virtually unaware. The reality was a little more mundane. The term "brainwashing" was a translation of the Chinese "mind cleansing" which they used to describe their extreme indoctrination or "re-education" methods.

It took another couple of decades for people to realise that the extreme indoctrination documented by Lifton was not invented by communists, but had been happening in their own societies for centuries, in religious and political cults. Lifton's book became the first handbook used by cult busters and de-programmers.

Freedom of thought has been a cornerstone of Western Democracy since the Enlightenment, and is considered a basic human right. Totalist, or extreme indoctrination is a serious and prevalent abuse. Whether it happens in North Korea, Jehova's Witnesses, Scientology, or Islamic State, it not only destroys lives and families, but those who manage to escape suffer lifelong psychological scars. I have personally known survivors who have issues including self-doubt, paranoia, depression, and PTSD.

Lifton's book provides a thorough, insightful, and compassionate view into the techniques and effects of extreme indoctrination. It shows a depth of understanding that remains relevant. Such understanding inoculates us to some extent. If we want to protect ourselves, friends, and family from religious or political totalist or cultish groups, read this book. Know your enemy.
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在野の天災宗教社会言語学者
5.0 out of 5 stars 全体主義=共産主義=ナチズム的ファシズム=カルト宗教=全宗教の証明と定式化
Reviewed in Japan on September 8, 2017
Verified Purchase
リフトンは1954年から55年にかけいずれも中国で捕まり強制収容所で思想改造の経験を持つ25人の欧米人と15人の中国人の計40人を対象に面接調査を実施。当時中国での洗脳の実態を解明しその真髄を纏めたのが本書。思想改造を推進する上で役割大の８大要素の抽出は以下の通り。詰まりは法則である。
１、外界との情報遮断。
２、指導者の神秘化。
３、思想的純粋要求。
４、自己純化のための自己批判とその組織内共有化。
５、理念の神聖絶対化、聖なる科学化。
６、教条的決まり文句の使用。
７、個人より理念の上位化。
８、全体主義的価値観不一致者の生存免除。
８項目は、社会内小組織から国家大組織までに適用出来よう。具体的にはサカキバラセイト個人からオウム真理教そして北朝鮮まで。しかしながら今日においても和訳されない訳は左右両翼にとって、つまりは上記８項目に該当したならマルクス主義も天皇主義もファシズムとして一括りされてしまう不都合な事実に満ちているからで、さらには一般的民族性すら自然発生的全体主義の烙印を押されかねないからであると推測される。訳者は血の気多い全てを敵に回す危険を覚悟せねばならない。しかしこの書はその様な危険性に充分見合う効用すなわち全てのマインド・コントロールからの人間の全面的解放の道筋を提示している。本来人は母親の、両親の、家族の、言語の、社会の、国家のマインド・コントロールを不可避的に受ける。今までの無意識的マインド・コントロールを意識化し、能動的主体的に自己意識を再構成すなわち正のマインド・コントロールを自分自身に施した時、人間は主体的に言語、社会、国家、家族、両親、母親そして思想を選ぶ自由を手にするだろう。明らかに、マインド・コントロール自体が悪い訳ではなく、それに依拠した普遍的低生産性が悪いのである。負のマインド・コントロールからどれだけ正のマインド・コントロールを能受動的に受けどれだけ自由度が高いかが個人の普遍的生産性の高さを決定する。
5 people found this helpful
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Ziggy
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 21, 2014
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amazing book
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