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Brainwashing



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Tue Jun 09, 2020 4:51 pm
Shadeflame says...



Hi everyone!

I was wondering if anyone would have any information on how brainwashing a character would work. She is a young girl- 14 or so- who has just lost her mother. She needs to be brainwashed so that she doesn't mind being a weapon for the king who runs the country. The story is set in around medieval times and it's fictional. I don't want her to be tortured a lot, although the training that she does go through is pretty brutal because she is learning to fight. She has healing capabilities, and is stronger than most humans. I hope that someone can answer my questions.

Thank you in advance!
-Shadeflame
English isn't a language, it's three languages stacked up on top of each other wearing a trenchcoat.
  





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Tue Jun 09, 2020 6:26 pm
WinnyWriter says...



Hey, there! This is a cool question, and I'm happy to help if I can. First of all, it sounds like you have at least a sketch of a plot already, so that's good. Also, it sounds like your character is at least somewhat established, another plus. However, your question left a lot of room for more questions, which I will address below.

First of all, in what kind of world does this character live? Is it the normal, human world, or a fantasy land? I'm sure you know the answer to this, but since you didn't seem to specify in your question, we're left in the dark on that one. :) Anyway, consider the characteristics of your setting. Is brainwashing common? Is it something they only do to the most threatening prisoners? Do the ones in charge of it even intend to do it, or does it just come as a consequence of their treatment of your character? You said you don't want her to be tortured a lot, so is torture common for people like her and she gets off easy by some means? Those are just some supporting factors to consider.

Secondly, you mentioned that your character has special powers. Okay, so is this common in this world? Are special powers top secret among those who have them? Are they permitted or banned in the kingdom in which she lives? If she is not the only one who has special powers, you could use another character with some kind of special power to brainwash her. For example, I've been reading the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, and they have certain characters called Washers who are equipped with the ability to wipe away people's memories. Consider whether you're looking at using a means similar to this or a more regular, special-power-free method of brainwashing.

I feel like fictional stories that include brainwashing have some things in common. Usually the person or organization trying to do the act hold some power over the victim, maybe a loved one in custody or something crucial to the main character's goal in their possession. They hold this person or item above the character's head and taunt them with it, setting requirements for them to be able to obtain it once again. Often the requirements are such that the character would become callous to evil deeds like the bad guys are demanding, and they often come in steps, from smaller demands to greater, until, if the character actually follows all of them, they become hardened and more or less brainwashed. Does that make sense? Hope so. LOL :) Another method is to have the character being brainwashed sit under lectures or teaching, or go through some sort of process or rituals that break down their old way of thinking, planting and nurturing the new thought process in them until, if they yield to it, they begin to do meet the demands of their own accord.

There are several ways you could go with this, and my knowledge and suggestions are limited. Don't be afraid to research and use your imagination. Happy writing! ;)
  





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Tue Jun 09, 2020 6:41 pm
Shadeflame says...



@WinnieWriter

Thanks for replying to my post! I feel like it will help me a lot, and I plan to go down the "lecture" sort of brainwashing road. Also, this is pretty unrelated, but I noticed that you said you were reading the "Keeper of the Lost Cities" series and I would love to chat about that with you if you are interested. I have A LOT of favorite books, and this one claims a spot there, so if you're interested, shoot me a PM and we can chat. :)
English isn't a language, it's three languages stacked up on top of each other wearing a trenchcoat.
  





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Thu Jun 24, 2021 10:04 pm
winterwolf0100 says...



Hey, ShadeFlame!

So I'll start by saying that I have a bit of an expertise in this (if I do say so myself XD) because the OC I am by far the closest to and most in their head is a man who grew up in a very toxic environment but he did not realize it. He was brainwashed constantly, not in a torturing way, but overtime as he was raised in the ideals of this place. His name is Malik, and he's featured in On Stolen Wings, the storybook, so I'd be happy to answer more questions on him, but I'll start by saying a few things:

The first question is if she is being tortured into being brainwashed, or if she is being brainwashed through manipulation. Malik is brainwashed through pure manipulation; he's been in this toxic environment since he was born, and he's never known any different. He's taught that if he's punished physically, it's because he was weak and did something wrong. He grows to be terrified of letting down his Elder-- the person who does his punishments-- and he also grows to always view a punishment as his fault. It doesn't matter how severe or harsh he's hurt from it, in the end, he will always think, "I brought this on myself. How can I make sure that doesn't happen again?" instead of "That old man nearly just killed me-- maybe he's to blame."

For brainwashing through manipulation, you're going to need a few things-- one, you're going to need a character who's smart enough to know how to do it subtly. The second thing you'll need is time. It won't happen overnight. Your smart character is going to most likely try to take her under their wing and act like they're the only person with her life as their top priority. The main thing a person will do first is separate them from everyone else. "Everyone else has another motive to hurt you-- I'm the only person you can really trust." Before they begin introducing these ideas, she'll have to be relatively comfortable around them. They'll need to have evidence, fake or taken out of context or real, that points to the fact that what they're saying is true. As her trust in them grows, the more power over her they'll have. It's a very delicate process to build up something like this because one wrong move, and she'd realize what was happening.

For brainwashing through torture, this is a lot more harsh but quick to write. I don't have much experience in it, but I have read several books in which things like it happened. Oftentimes, 'potions' or shots of 'medicine' will be used to weaken the person's mind before they begin to give information back. Think of Peeta from the Mockingjay book (Hunger Games series.)
Spoiler! :
Trackerjacker venom is used to weaken his mind and give him paralyzing fear. Then, they introduce memories of Katniss while he's in this panicked state. It distorts the memories in his mind so he has a strong fear associated with them. They tell him things while he's in this state, and when he comes out, he has a hard time distinguishing what's real and what they put in his head. Eventually, he believes everything they said completely. Again, this is violent and disgusting (not to say manipulation isn't but this is a bit more physical obviously).


So depending on which method you're using is going to be a completely different approach to doing it. I would suggest, based on your description, more along the lines of brainwashing through manipulation since you don't want her tortured a lot. The training that she does is a perfect thing to include as a part of the manipulation though-- my character, Malik, also trains a lot. Any time that he loses a fight, he often gets in trouble. Once your character trusts the person enough, start introducing the training and any time that she loses, make them disappointed in her. If you fade the disappointment slowly to anger, she'll go emotionally from "I don't want them disappointed in me... I don't really understand why" to "They're angry? What can I do to avoid that anger, their opinion matters to me and I don't want them to dislike me." If you do it right, it'll be completely believable to a reader!

This isn't super in-depth, but I hope this helps some! : D
he/she/they


winter you are an adorable bean and I love your bad social awareness xD ~Omni
omni played robin hood, stole winter's brain cell ~Silver
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