Voltaire once said, ‘Anyone who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.’
He was right because people don’t just suddenly become violent.
There’s a gradual process of being introduced to an ideology, adopting its beliefs in an extreme way, and then some of those people will commit horrendous crimes.
Now, if someone we care about is being radicalized, it will probably go unnoticed. When we realize what’s happening, it’s very difficult to bring them back to who they were.
So, in this video, we’ll discuss how the average Joe can transform into a mindless, spiteful, and violent person. I believe that by recognizing radicalization, you can prevent it from happening to you or someone you care about.
Let’s begin with one of the most popular psychology studies.
Chapter 1: The Asch Experiment
Solomon Asch conducted a series of experiments in the 1950s about group conformity that can explain a lot about our behavior today.
The experiment starts with a volunteer while the rest are all fake participants or actors. Of course, he doesn’t know it; He’s told this is a vision test.
Then, the researcher shows a card with one line, followed by another card with three lines. And everyone has to say out loud which line on the second card matches the first one.
It’s very simple. The answer is always clear.
Now, at first, everyone picks the correct line. Yet, as the experiment continues, the actors unanimously give wrong answers.
We can see on his face that he’s struggling… He knows the answer is wrong but everyone else is responding differently. Eventually, he gives up and goes along with the group.
He wasn’t the only one. Asch found that a lot of people—about 75%—ended up giving the wrong answer when they felt pressure from the group.
But when they weren’t pressured, hardly anyone got it wrong.
He also found that if one or two actors gave the correct answer, it encouraged the volunteer to stick to what he knew was right.
This shows that even minor defiance in a group can have a significant effect on reducing conformity.
The problem nowadays is that social media algorithms are designed to give us content we already agree with, and traditional media is no better. They often present a biased view of reality based on their financial interests.
This can make people believe they are being informed when in fact they are being isolated.
So when you’ve entered this information bubble, are you going to listen to those few individuals who’re actually telling you the truth?
Chapter 2: The (Gradual) Process of Radicalization
Let’s examine how a situation similar to the Asch Experiments unfold in real life, but on a much larger scale — and is something you’ve probably noticed.
Consider a malevolent yet very charismatic individual who repeatedly makes hateful statements.
He begins by targeting a specific group of people.
In general, these are people who find themselves at a low point in their lives: feeling powerless, lonely, and prone to extreme thoughts about why they’re in this mess. Meaning they either place the blame entirely on themselves or on others for their situation.
They also have a high sense of entitlement. They believe that life should be easier for them.
In other words, it’s a situation where things are going wrong for them or they perceive it as such, while at the same time, they believe the world owes them a lot.
So this creates a huge internal conflict.
Now, for our charismatic individual, this internal conflict is precious because he can exploit it to recruit these people. He’ll give them what they crave the most… a sense of security, certainty, and comfort.
That’s the core audience.
Right now, he is only talking to them.
That’s why, to the rest of us, what he’s saying sounds superficial or even downright dumb.
But those words mean a lot to his followers. And since they’ve finally found someone who seems to understand them, they’ll do their best to spread his message. They are very vocal, and some of them will say weird things.
Naturally, the media will give them more coverage because conflict and weird behavior or statements increase viewership.
As a result, we ALL form the impression that he has a lot of followers.
You know, it creates the illusion of popularity.
What’s worse is that it also creates the impression that more people agree with his disturbing statements or behavior than they actually do.
I mean just because you support someone by voting or buying his products doesn’t mean you agree with everything he says.
But what ends up happening is that we condemn that behavior less and less because most of us are afraid of going against the opinion of the majority.
Even though, it’s just an illusion. Most people are not okay with his behavior. But, as time goes by, we learn to consider it as normal, at least, when an authority figure does it.
Now, let’s say that I start paying attention to this person because I’m curious about why is he popular!
At first, even though I find some of his statements repulsive, as more and more people follow him, I begin to question my own reaction.
I say to myself, “Maybe I am overreacting. Let me listen to him to get more context.”
It turns out that most of his messages resonate with what I’m facing right now, with what I’m going through.
Those words give me comfort and motivation to face the day, but most importantly, they give me a sense of hope that I’ll make it… that I’ll achieve my dreams, become successful, and not feel like this anymore.
Sure he does say some controversial stuff but he doesn’t really mean it. He just does it for publicity. Other people don’t understand him and that’s why they are doomed to fail.
That’s how some of us, who initially felt repulsed by this individual or ideology, can gradually talk ourselves into becoming part of that group.
It’s a result of constant exposure to their content, coupled with feeling exhausted and hopeless by constant life challenges.
For example, there’s a great documentary called “The Brainwashing of My Dad” by Jen Senko
She tells the story of how her dad transformed from a non-political democrat to a right-wing fanatic. She explains the rise of right-wing media and how they influenced her dad’s beliefs.
Her research is solid, throughout the years, the right-wing media developed a systematic approach to brainwashing people.
But I want to add that any ideology taken to the extreme will harm its followers and others.
We’ll talk more about it, a bit later in the video.
Senko also shares stories of people who experienced a similar situation… that their loved ones were radicalized from consuming toxic content on TV or Radio. And if you look at the comments, you’ll see many more examples of this happening.
It’s scary and sad to see someone you love transform into a different person. It really messes with your head.
Now, let’s return to our example. How does this malevolent individual keep me part of the group?
Because initially, joining his group is a lot of fun. However, as I get more involved, I start rationalizing his disturbing behavior which drains my energy and I also waste my money on his worthless products.
It’s like an addiction – what starts as fun, gradually consumes your entire day. Your primary goal becomes feeding that little monster you have inside.
And trust me, the more you feed that monster; the bigger it becomes. No matter how much you give; it’s never enough.
So considering that this situation sucks for me, how does he keep me trapped?
Well, he doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel. He just needs to follow the playbook of dictators and cult leaders.
This leads us to…
Chapter 3: Mind Control Techniques
Robert Jay Lifton is a psychiatrist who dedicated his life to studying brainwashing. In 1960, he published the book, Thought Reform and The Psychology of Totalism
Since then, it has been an important book to understand how regimes, cults, and extremist groups recruit and keep their members.
Lifton coined the term “Ideological Totalism”, describing it as the absolute conviction in an ideology.
In other words, it’s when people believe that this is the ONLY and the PERFECT way of… living, running a country, or understanding how the world works.
He explained that each of us has the potential for ideological totalism.
However, he added that absolute convictions are “most likely to occur with those ideologies which are most sweeping in their content and most ambitious or messianic in their claims, whether religious, political, or scientific. Where totalism exists, a religion, a political movement, or even a scientific organization becomes little more than an exclusive cult.”
Now, there are 8 mind-control methods or techniques that destructive groups use to entrap their followers.
When you recognize that a particular group is using multiple methods, then it’s a huge sign to get the fuck out.
#1 Milieu control
It’s when the leader and the inner circle of that group have complete control over the information. They consistently emphasize the importance of only trusting news or information from specific sources.
Eventually, the followers will resist legitimate information that contradicts the beliefs or teachings of the group.
#2 Mystical Manipulation
Each group has a high-stakes mission, usually given by a supernatural entity like God, and they also have a leader who’s blinded by grandiosity.
So manipulating the group members, other people, or even institutions is completely justified.
On the other hand, any thought or action that questions the higher purpose is considered backward, selfish, and petty.
#3 Good vs Evil
The third method is dividing the world into pure good and evil. This is common with any totalist ideology.
They attribute pure goodness to everything associated with the ideology, while everything else is deemed bad or impure.
In addition, when followers experience doubts or when they fail to reach the unreasonable standards of the group, they’ll fear and guilt.
And to alleviate these feelings, they create an environment with minimal temptations that could move them away from the group.
That’s why they avoid talking to people who think differently… Even if those people are their own blood.
They basically isolate themselves as much as possible.
What’s even more problematic is that to deal with that internal conflict, they dial up the hatred toward people they consider enemies.
#4 Confession
Followers are required to confess their inadequacies and how they have let the movement down. It’s usually conducted in group meetings. The goal is to make them surrender to the group and strip their remaining individuality.
#5 Sacred Science
They try to connect the group ideology with science so going against it is not only immoral but also unscientific.
#6 Loading the Language
Followers learn new words that are easily memorized and expressed.
This is known as the language of non-thought because complex issues are reduced to clichés.
Now since language is integral to human experience, it dramatically narrows their capacity for thinking and feeling.
#7 Doctrine Over Person
The identity of the follower… how they see themselves and the world is reshaped not based on their personality but by the beliefs and rules of the group.
And if a follower doubts those beliefs, they make him feel like there’s something wrong with him; not with the doctrine.
As Lifton explained in his book, “The underlying assumption is that the doctrine—including its mythological elements (their BS stories about the past) —is ultimately more valid, true, and real than is any aspect of actual human character or experience.”
#8 Dispensing of Existence
The doctrine creates a clear distinction between those who belong to the group and those who don’t.
Followers believe that their entire existence depends on being part of this group and they view others as unworthy or unenlightened.
Moreover, they may attempt to recruit others, hoping to bring them into this special group or save their souls.
For instance, my cousin, who is a devout Muslim, attempted to persuade me to embrace religion. When he failed, he would often say things like, “I’m not explaining it properly; I’m not knowledgeable enough to describe the beauty of Islam…”
I reassured him that he had explained it well and that I had tried to learn about it a few years ago when I was in a desperate state.
However, the more I listened to people preaching Islam, the more distant I became. I feared that, given my obsessive, addictive nature, I might become a fundamentalist.
Looking back, I realize my fear was irrational because you can be a religious person and have a calm life. You know, you don’t have to hate other people.
Still, I believe I made the right decision about staying away from religion.
Now, what’s scary about the technique of dividing people into insiders and outsiders is that it can lead followers to dehumanize others.
This way of thinking can lead to violence, as we’ve seen with communists, nazis, and religious fundamentalists.
The bottom line is to pay attention to groups who use most of these mind-control methods.
The rule of thumb is to be careful of people who claim to have all the answers, reject criticism, and demonize others with different beliefs.
