Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of 'brainwashing' in China (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780807842539)

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.

Author: Robert Jay Lifton
ISBN-10: 0807842532
ISBN-13: 9780807842539
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
Language: English
Published: 07/31/1989
Pages: 524
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.44lbs
Size: 8.49h x 5.54w x 1.31d