# Brainwashing...pressure for more answer.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainwashing-pressure-for-more-answer/295628>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [March 21, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainwashing-pressure-for-more-answer/295628 "2005-03-21T21:01:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainwashing-pressure-for-more-answer/295628/1 "2005-03-21T21:01:20Z")

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Interesting answer on the history of government sponsored brainwashing. Now. Is brainwashing possible? How would I go about brainwashing someone?

Is brainwashing different from short to long term mental instability caused by sleep deprivation, poor nutrition, stress and repetetive suggestion? These techniques can deliver a certain amount of behavioral cange, or at least increase an individual’s receptivity to change as they are employed in entry level military training, but how are they at effecting longer term and more radical behavioral change–to the point of making someone unrecognizable from their former self?

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**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainwashing-pressure-for-more-answer/295628/2 "2005-03-22T15:15:20Z")

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Welcome to the SDMB, and thank you for posting your comment.  
Please include a link to Cecil’s column if it’s on the Straight Dope web site.  
To include a link, it can be as simple as including the web page location in your post (make sure there is a space **before** and **after** the text of the URL).

Cecil’s column can be found on-line at this link:  
[Is brainwashing possible? (18-Mar-2005)](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/050318.html)

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moderator, «[**Comments on Cecil’s Columns**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=1)»

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**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2005, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainwashing-pressure-for-more-answer/295628/3 "2005-03-22T16:16:40Z")

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Could you clarify the question?