This next item for consideration is a book:
Hyde, Margaret O. (1976). Brainwashing and Other Forms of Mind Control. New York: McGraw-Hill.6
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This text follows citations of various definitions of brainwashing:
"Not only is it impossible to define the form of mind control known as brainwashing to everyone's satisfaction, it is impossible to understand what happens to a person in the process. Most people agree that the process involves several factors, all operating more or less at the same time. Four phases seem to be involved, generally in the following order, although they may overlap: emotional assault, calculated kindness and leniency, confession, and reeducation." (p. 97-98)
I'm not sure if this is an exact fit, especially the first phase, but it's not completely off either. I think the last three phases could apply to the mission in Vienna.
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"In order for brainwashing to work on, for example, a prisoner of war, certain conditions must be present. First, s/he must be in a position where it is necessary to make a choice between cooperating or starving, being tortured or not, or even being allowed to live or being killed." (p. 98)
Forget the prisoner of war example, and replace it with things that might have been more likely in a mission, and I think you have a fit. The choice might be to submit or risk not succeeding in your job, risk social isolation, etc.
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"If the victim continues to resist after first attempts to produce cooperation, living conditions may be made even harsher. Or, on the other hand, if the person cooperates, rewards such as extra food may be provided." (p. 98)
Here is behavioral psychology (Pavlov) again. The carrot and stick were used in my experience, but it was often unclear regarding logical connections or what exactly may have resulted in a carrot or stick treatment. Maybe once you passed through the induction process the connections made more sense. Maybe. But in general I think this was used in Vienna.
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"Part of the process includes asking the subject to indulge in self-criticism if cooperation is achieved." (p. 98).
This was clearly acted out in Vienna, in private mentoring-type consultations. The onus was on the newly arrived as to any conflicts or problems s/he may have encountered, rather than from the mission or other people in it. This was my experience anyway and what I gleaned from others.
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"The use of harsh treatment alternated with friendly treatment helps to put the victim in a state of confusion." (p. 98)
Again, I think this was evident in Vienna, but in often in subtle ways or ways involving few people so others might not have known particularly what was going on regarding this kind of thing. Also, I only know of its use involving the newly arrived as part of socialization into the mission collective.
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"Another aspect of brainwashing technique is the use of isolation. When leaders and friends are removed, certain personality changes take place even in those people who normally enjoy being alone. The absence of friends and leaders who normally supply emotional support make it more difficult to resist indoctrination. The individual becomes more vulnerable to threats and bribes." (p. 99).
I've already discussed this some in other posts, except I don't think the part here about personality change has been brought up before. I think this is very relevant to the situation in Vienna. Bribes per se weren't used, unless you include (often insinuated) promises of succeeding, etc. at the mission. However, threats (mostly insinuated ones) that if needed could be actually carried out, was used. Again, this was my experience. Others there may or may not agree with me.
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"In actual practice, a combination of factors, including isolation and fostering attitudes of suspicion and distrust, is developed to make the conditioning process of thought control more easily accepted." (p. 100)
Suspicion and distrust was especially strong towards outsiders, and newcomers were not completely trusted either until they passed the initial socialization process. Hindering that process risked your being considered as an outsider and treated similarly. This attitude, I believe, was at least in part due to their working in Eastern Europe and the political aspects of working in that region of the world. I don't want to get too much into specific examples in these discussions of texts, but one example of this suspicious came towards the end of my tenure in Vienna, when I was working as a receptionist there. I was given strict instructions to make sure any non-staff (or family member of staff) walking through the door had to sign a check-in sheet. They wanted to keep close tabs on who came in the building, and then there were similar rules about what to do after the guest signed in.
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In the next quite, the author responds to accusations that psychologists and psychiatrists use brainwashing.
"...[I]n the case of behavior therapy for alcoholics, the therapist is acting as problem solver and uses a personalized approach for each client. The latter must trust and respect the therapist. This is far different from the brainwashing concept, in which subtle changes in attitudes are brought about without an individual's awareness that changes are being made." (p. 103)
I think that inductees to the mission in Vienna were conscious of at least some behavioral changes being sought, but not all. I think there was a level of socialization efforts that the inductee didn't realize, although this would depend on the individual. If I may, I would like to compare that to setting teaching objectives - I have English as a Second/Foreign Language teaching background (that's another story). I may be primarily and directly teaching the past perfect, but not explain that the exercises, examples and activities chosen were also to reinforce vocabulary. This is pretty benign, of course, and I surmise that teachers do this kind of thing all the time, but in Vienna I felt like it was more insidious and dealt with mores and values that shouldn't be treated so lightly and unconsciously.
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"After release from captivity, when a person finds himself/herself in new circumstances where the imposed values are not longer rewarded, the effects of brainwashing usually fade away." (p. 106)
I include this statement because I find it interesting and believable regarding the mission workers in Vienna. Theoretically, the need to act in ways deemed necessary because of the work and its context would not continue after leaving the mission. Does that mean that the workers there consciously succumb to the socialization process knowing that the adaptations required will just be temporary (for the duration of their time with the mission)?
To me some of the changes required would probably continue. It's like once you learn that there are times when the ends justifies the means, you may come to accept that premise and it would be easier to apply it again in some other situation. If you hadn't had that indoctrination in Vienna you might not have otherwise considered acting in a manner consistent with pragmatism, but that indoctrination opened up a new door of possibility regarding proper ways to act in the world.
Now here, in juxtaposition with prisoners of war or the like, we are dealing with people who share the same basic theology and it would be elders/respectable leaders in the faith that would be most likely involved in passing these things on. So if they think pragmatism is okay, then it may be something worth taking home to the States (or Canada or wherever).
Certainly a lot of things in the induction process in Vienna would stay in Vienna and not be brought home except as a memory. I find this to be acredible possibility, at any rate.
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The following text is exerpted from a chapter discussing the recruitment methods of the Moonies. Referring to a meeting of ex-converts in 1976 in Washington, D.C.:
"At the meeting mentioned above, some ex-converts testified that they were taught justification in 'deceiving Satan's children' in a doctrine known as 'heavenly deception.'" (p. 115-116).
This reminds me of workers in Vienna being instructed in methods of how to thwart potential unwanted mission in the mission with things like saying you worked for a "publishing company". I discussed this in an earlier post, about how this is a half truth at best and does not describe the main work of the mission. It would be like saying the local grocery store is a marketing company. Well, yes, they do have a marketing department and that is part of the work of the store, but not really the main work of it.
At least the Moonies have a name for this practice and apparently some theology to back it up; I can't really say as much for the missions in Vienna though.
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"Every religion and every culture makes use of some of the psychological aspects of group sanctions, guilt, shame, reward, and so on, but these are limited in most cases to allow a balance that enables individuals to retain their freedom and creativity." (p. 123)
I think that in the Vienna context it was more difficult if you were on your own turf, and the mission could almost engineer your social life through these kinds of sanctions and suggestions. Perhaps it wasn't as bad as in some cults, but it wss bad enough, in my opinion. You were more isolated than usual, had a lot to risk by not conforming, and were more dependent on the employer (the mission, I mean) then is normally the case back home. So there were more effective ways social leverage could be used and in areas that in other more familiar contexts would be available to an employer.
Before I continue on this, though, I should say that some of this could also be said of other expat work situations or missions in other places, but this one was different ostensibly because of the Eastern Europe focus and also because, as I was told, since there were so many sending missions represented among our workers anything we did could not only put our mission and believers behind the iron curtain at risk, but also put the other missions at risk. This was ostensibly the reason why they used such means socialization and group control.
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Well, it's time for me to go to bed. I just have 2 more books in this file that I want to discuss and then we'll move on to something else for a while. I made a lot of headway today, though.
Good night!
~ Meg
