deprogrammings
Undoing belief conditioning
Deprogrammings are attempts to reverse someone's indoctrination, particularly from cults or extremist movements.
The term emerged in the 1970s when families hired specialists to extract relatives from groups like the Moonies or Hare Krishnas, often through intensive confrontation: The deprogrammings sometimes lasted days.
Now used more broadly for any effort to undo ideological conditioning.
Purposeful involvement to change course
- MooniesUnification Church adherents, slangily
- ScientologySpirit-improvement belief system
- recoveryRegaining what was lost
- reintegrationRestoration to a group
Independent decision-making capacity
- therapeuticPromoting healing or wellness
- dissociationMental separation from surroundings
- dependencyState of needing support
- self-determinationControl over one's fate
counseling · therapy · aftercare · retraumatization · voluntary · involuntary
Countering extremist indoctrination
- extremismIdeology beyond accepted norms
- counter-narrativeStory opposing mainstream version
- disengagementWithdrawal from involvement
- rehabilitationRecovery from injury/addiction
reintegration · polarization · worldview · fundamentalism · mentoring
Delete installed software
- bloatwareUnwanted preinstalled software
- softwarePrograms directing computer operations
- configurationArrangement of parts
- debuggingError removal from programs
reformatting · registry · firmware · reset · reconfiguration · reinstallation · troubleshooting · wiping
intervention
Purposeful involvement to change course
- MooniesUnification Church adherents, slangily
- ScientologySpirit-improvement belief system
- recoveryRegaining what was lost
autonomy
Independent decision-making capacity
- therapeuticPromoting healing or wellness
- dissociationMental separation from surroundings
- dependencyState of needing support
self-determination · counseling · therapy · aftercare · retraumatization · voluntary · involuntary
deradicalization
Countering extremist indoctrination
- extremismIdeology beyond accepted norms
- counter-narrativeStory opposing mainstream version
- disengagementWithdrawal from involvement
rehabilitation · reintegration · polarization · worldview · fundamentalism · mentoring
uninstall
Delete installed software
- bloatwareUnwanted preinstalled software
- softwarePrograms directing computer operations
- configurationArrangement of parts
debugging · reformatting · registry · firmware · reset · reconfiguration · reinstallation · troubleshooting · wiping
deprogrammingsindoctrinations
Imposed belief trainings
brainwashings · conditionings · mind control · thought reform · radicalization
deprogrammingsrecruitments
Acts of gaining personnel
conversions · initiations · enlistments · inductions · love bombing