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

by: Robert Jay Lifton

ISBN-10: 0807842532

ISBN-13: 9780807842539

Publication date: 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 Westeers who underwent “brainwashing” by the Communist Chinese govement. Robert Lifton constructs these case histories through personal interviews and outlines a thematic patte 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.