Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism / Lifton, Robert Jay

Includes bibliographical references.

Preface to the University of North Carolina Press Edition; Preface; PART ONE: The Problem; 1. What Is ""Brainwashing""?; 2. Research in Hong Kong; PART TWO: Prison Thought Reform of Westerners; 3. Re-education: Dr. Vincent; 4. Father Luca: The False Confession; 5. Psychological Steps; 6. Varieties of Response: The Obviously Confused; 7. Varieties of Response: Apparent Converts; 8. Varieties of Response: Apparent Resisters; 9. Group Reform: Double-edged Leadership; 10. Follow-up Visits; 11. Father Simon: The Converted Jesuit; 12. Recovery and Renewal: A Summing Up

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.