Quote:
Originally Posted by aron
I don't like the word brainwashing, and probably haven't used it on this forum, before this. But I'm trying to understand what happened here.
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The reason I usually avoid the word is it's subjectively tainted with my frustration: those who stubbornly refuse to acknowledge my point of view are dismissed thus. "Brainwashed".
So why did I start a thread with this title? It at least approximates something I'm trying to address, which is how someone gains control over others. I've previously used the word "mesmerisation" to characterise how someone gets others to come under their sway.
But I use the term without understanding the process very well. How does one gain control? I think that the most important thing is, don't let your subject know that you are manipulating them. Get them to agree on some readily-apparent truism, then leverage that with their unmet needs (social approval, belonging, etc) and take them somewhere detrimental, where they don't want to be. When they try to resist, remind them of the agreement that you had at the start, that no one else loves them, that only you know what is best, etc.
I have the right to ask how I got there.