What is brainwashing?
CrowdScience
BBC
4.8 • 985 Ratings
🗓️ 1 December 2023
⏱️ 37 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
*Warning* This episode includes references to suicide.
When listener Ben heard about a Kenyan “starvation cult” in the news, he wondered whether the members of this group had been brainwashed. Is it possible to control someone’s mind?
In this episode presenter Caroline Steel learns how easily people can be influenced. She hears what it’s like to be part of a cult, and gets to the bottom of a decades-long debate: does brainwashing exist? And, if so, how does it work?
Presenter: Caroline Steel Producer: Florian Bohr Editor: Richard Collings Production Co-ordinator: Jonathan Harris Studio Managers: Donald McDonald and Emma Harth
Featuring:
Anthony Pratkanis, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz Alexandra Stein, Honorary Research Fellow, University of Sussex Eileen Barker, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, London School of Economics
(Image: Washing a brain. Credit: Cemile Bingol / Getty Images).
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of |
| 0:07.0 | Happiness Podcast. |
| 0:08.0 | For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want |
| 0:14.4 | to share that science with you. |
| 0:16.1 | And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley. |
| 0:19.4 | I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that |
| 0:25.4 | calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:30.3 | This is a crime scene. Just right behind me is where detectives have been coming through. |
| 0:39.0 | You're listening to crowd science from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:43.4 | I'm Caroline Steele and I've got to start this episode with a warning. |
| 0:47.3 | Throughout this show we're going to be mentioning suicide. |
| 0:51.3 | There was an order of death. Children went first, but not the pastor's children, and he went last. |
| 0:58.0 | Earlier this year, hundreds of bodies were found in Shakahala Forest in southeastern Kenya. |
| 1:02.8 | The victims are believed to be followers of a religious cult called the Good News International |
| 1:07.4 | Church. |
| 1:08.4 | It's led by this man, Pastor Mackenzie in Tengue, who has allegedly convinced followers to starve themselves to death in order to meet Jesus. |
| 1:16.0 | The story quickly made international headlines. |
| 1:19.0 | It's believed the people were followers of a Christian cult whose members were encouraged |
| 1:25.0 | by the group's leader to starve themselves in order to get into heaven. |
| 1:30.0 | This news of hundreds of cult followers starving themselves caught the attention of crowd science listener Ben who's in Nairobi. |
| 1:39.0 | I was actually at home. I was watching the evening news with a few friends of mine and it |
| 1:48.7 | kicked off our discussion between the three of us. Yeah three. |
... |
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