A young man or women leaves their home and travels across the country to go to college. After just a few months of being in a new location and meeting new people, values and experiences suggest there are different ways to behave and learn about the world. When employees enter into a new workplace the same cultural phenomena occurs (Robbins, & Judge, 2009). Brainwashing is having another person, group, or organization’s impose a set of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors, forcibly if need be, with the aim of destroying an individual’s convictions and attitudes, while replacing them with their desired alternatives (Long, & Hadden, 1983). When individuals are invited into a structured environment, they learn attitudes, beliefs, and values that they then carry with them to display in often creative ways that answer the needs of their lives and their perceived careers (Leavitt, 1991).
To be socialized into a group or organization it does not happen through one or two events. Socialization is an ongoing process that involves relating to others through a social environment where individuals learn the display rules, unspoken values, norms, informal and formal hierarchy, and the required skills to succeed through the managed culture and circumstances (Hunter, 1956). Robbins and Judge (2009) state that while organizations will bring new hires into the managed culture of an organization with the aim of assisting employees in adapting to the profession and the environment itself. Brainwashing is not about learning to integrate information into a person’s behavioral possibilities. It is about limiting responses and attempting to decree that there is only one legitimate source of cultural information (Hunter, 1956). Since all differences in culture are socially constructed, any organization or group has to continually evolve with the cultural environment around them while educating the people that will advance the organization/group culture (Robbins, & Judge, 2009).
There is a big difference between a managed culture and that of brainwashing when it comes to socialization. Managed cultures educate those people interested and investing in by sharing who they are in relation to what they believe, operate (ethically, and industrially), and how they cooperate with other cultures (Robbins, & Judge, 2009). Individuals have to be brought up to speed if they wish to be perceived as professionals through their organization who anchors an individual with membership into an industry. Brainwashing can be as systematic and similar to a managed culture, but it is totally without the freedom to believe and process the information in any other way except those directed by its source. The only thing left to debate is what a person means by freedom and the consequences of not buying into a managed culture.
Peterson (2009) defines indoctrination as the willful and intentional action of a person to get someone to accept their beliefs without question or without seeking the truth from outside sources. Snook (as cited in Peterson) adds that the person introduces their beliefs without evidence and expects others to accept their beliefs. Indoctrinators may provide reasons for their belief but they do this in such a way that encourages others to ignore opposing beliefs or the person may not be able to engage in activities that will question rather or not the belief is truthful.
I believe that brainwashing is a form of socialization but not all processes of socialization involves brainwashing. For example, Charles Manson is known for his ability to brainwash his followers by first drugging them and next influencing their thoughts by disturbing their memories and facilitating aberrant behavior (Kent, 2008). Although this is a negative form of socialization, the court ruled that through brainwashing Manson persuaded his followers to accept his beliefs without question. Even when his followers were sober, they continued to live by his wishes and were responsive to his whims.
In examining the relationship between socialization and brainwashing, many may believe that brainwashing occurs through the use of some type of force. However, the Manson case demonstrated that people can be brainwashed without force (Kent, 2008). I believe the difference between brainwashing and positive socialization is that positive socialization involves the person’s awareness and willingness to change whereas brainwashing does not always include a person full awareness of potential outcome of brainwashing. Thanks for reading my post.
I believe that brainwashing is a form of socialization but not all processes of socialization involves brainwashing. For example, Charles Manson is known for his ability to brainwash his followers by first drugging them and next influencing their thoughts by disturbing their memories and facilitating aberrant behavior (Kent, 2008). Although this is a negative form of socialization, the court ruled that through brainwashing Manson persuaded his followers to accept his beliefs without question. Even when his followers were sober, they continued to live by his wishes and were responsive to his whims.
In examining the relationship between socialization and brainwashing, many may believe that brainwashing occurs through the use of some type of force. However, the Manson case demonstrated that people can be brainwashed without force (Kent, 2008). I believe the difference between brainwashing and positive socialization is that positive socialization involves the person’s awareness and willingness to change whereas brainwashing does not always include a person full awareness of potential outcome of brainwashing. Thanks for reading my post.
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Works Cited:
Hunter, E. (1956). Brainwashing: The story of men who defied it. New York, NY US: Farrar, Straus and Cudahy. Retrieved from PsycINFO database.
Kent, S. (2008). Contemporary uses of the brainwashing concept: 2000 to mid-2007). Cultic Studies Review, 7(2), 99-128.
Peterson, Barbara. (2009). Reason-giving versus truth-seeking: Reconceptualizing indoctrination in education. Philosophy of Education Yearbook, 367-374.Thanks for reading my post.
Peterson, Barbara. (2009). Reason-giving versus truth-seeking: Reconceptualizing indoctrination in education. Philosophy of Education Yearbook, 367-374.Thanks for reading my post.
Leavitt, H. (1991). Socializing Our MBAs: Total Immersion? Managed Cultures? Brainwashing?. California Management Review, 33(4), 127-143. Retrieved from Business Source Complete database.
Long, T., & Hadden, J. (1983). Religious Conversion and the Concept of Socialization: Integrating the Brainwashing and Drift Models. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 22(1), 1. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.
Robbins, S., & Judge, T. (2009). Organizational behavior (13th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
