Thought reform and the psychology of totalism

This book, first published in 1961, is an analysis of the experiences of fifteen Chinese citizens and twenty-five Westerners who underwent brainwashing by the Chinese Communist government.

Lifton outlines eight criteria for thought reform, including Milieu Control, Mystical Manipulation, Demand for Purity, Confession, Sacred Science, Loading the Language, Doctrine over person, and Dispensing of existence.

The book explores the thematic pattern of death and rebirth, accompanied by feelings of guilt, that characterizes the process of thought reform and discusses its broader implications for the study of extremism and totalism.