Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of 'brainwashing' in China

Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of ‘brainwashing’ in China

Author: Robert Jay Lifton
ISBN-10: 0807842532
ISBN-13: 9780807842539
Release: July 31, 1989
Paperback: 524 pages
.50
Book Description
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.