Brainwashing doesn’t always look dramatic; it often employs subtle tactics to bypass critical thinking and reshape beliefs and identities. Indeed, various models have been proposed over the years to ...

Men have always fought for control over the minds of their fellows, but it is only recently—largely because of the furor over brainwashing—that the methods of gaining such control have been openly and ...

The term “Stockholm syndrome” comes from a 1973 bank heist that started out perfectly normally. An experienced robber named Jan-Erik Olsson entered Kreditbanken in Norrmalmstorg square, Stockholm, ...

As sniper suspect Lee Boyd Malvo stands trial this week, his insanity defense relies on a controversial claim rarely heard in courtrooms: The defendant was brainwashed to kill. But whether Malvo is a ...

Recent calls to deprogram QAnon conspiracy followers are steeped in discredited notions about brainwashing. As popularly imagined, brainwashing is a coercive procedure that programs new long-term ...

Watching al-Awlaki ranting on YouTube became his reality. “It kind of takes control of you,” Warsame said. “Most of the videos would talk about how, if you would engage in jihad, you would be doing ...

Harvard historian Rebecca Lemov on the history of brainwashing and its implications today. Radiolab is an award-winning podcast that explores the edge where science, philosophy and human experience ...