The indoctrination is the fact inculcate another / s, ideas, values or a system of thought so that you accept / n uncritically response, in order to obtain a socio-political or sectarian benefit. Indoctrination teaches what to think and results in passive and voiceless subjects.
It is usually assumed as a mechanism of social control exercised by social groups that have or hold power over the dominated classes. For some authors it supposes the biased formation of certain extremist groups or the manipulation of the information flow, about subjects who are under their influence.
Indoctrination is the fact of instilling a system of thought so that it is accepted uncritically. Source: Pixabay
For several generations, the term indoctrination was used as a synonym for teaching, however, certain reluctance and a negative approach began to appear from approximately the second decade of the 20th century.
There are several scholars who have analyzed the subject and handle a negative meaning of the term, however, there is still no consensus on what is really negative: if the content, the form, the intention of the instructor or the ultimate goal of that process.
Indoctrination is based on three pillars: the first seeks the isolation of the individual, the disconnection of other different ways of thinking; the second consists of imposing ideas, values, beliefs and annulling one's own judgment; the third is radicalization, because it considers that there is a unique way to reach a goal and rejects diversity and tolerance in a forceful way.
History
Various social theorists and political analysts refer to the term indoctrination, but it is worth highlighting the writings of Noam Chomsky (1928), who made reference to the systematic biases in the media due to economic factors.
The North American thinker also considers that the purpose of education is essentially indoctrination, posing schools as centers of imposed obedience, a system of control and coercion where the individual is domesticated, bordering on idiotization.
However, the practices as such can be detected from the time of medieval Europe with the period of the witch hunt. Church and civil authorities accused women of witches who might have some sign of subversion against the status quo.
Throughout history and on all continents, the great dictatorships registered systems of formal indoctrination. This is how it appeared in the fascist dictatorships of Italy, Germany and Spain, but also in the communist regimes where not only ideology and values were instilled, but freedom of opinion was censored and all those who were opponents were persecuted.
School indoctrination
School indoctrination can be counteracted by motivating the student to investigate and weigh the knowledge he receives. Source: Pixabay
The main difference between indoctrination and education lies in the development of critical capacity, the possibility of analyzing, expressing opinions and questioning the validity of the information or knowledge that is being delivered. Indoctrination imposes dogma, prevents the subject from developing his own judgment, turning him into an adept who will practice and spread the doctrine.
The danger of intellectual indoctrination can be counteracted to the extent that an active attitude is fostered, in achieving that the student investigates and ponders what he hears, seeks testimonies, assumes or rejects what he receives in a critical way. Finally it supposes to apprehend, but not the truth told, but the one that has been discovered and decided to accept as true.
The teacher must follow at least three different strategies: avoid stifling the student's own thinking, teach him the intellectual path that has been traveled and where the ideas taught have been obtained and develop in these a moral basis with which they can make correct judgments and develop a love for the truth.
Religious indoctrination
Although religious indoctrination is rarely spoken of today due to its negative connotation, the original meaning was to impart a doctrine in an authoritative manner and, in fact, it is an essential factor for new members of religions. It is the first step for other truths of a certain religion or esoteric knowledge to be revealed, as well as to achieve group membership.
The word doctrine comes from the Latin whose meaning is science or wisdom. It is composed of the lexeme docere which means to teach, as well as the suffixes - tor and - ina that refer to relationship and belonging. In the case of religious doctrine, it involves the teaching of a belief system that claims to have universal validity.
Unlike the school context, the religious one has the problem of not enjoying so much flexibility. The believer cannot interpret or explore his own truth, since there are dogmas of faith that simply must be accepted when practicing a certain religion, without possible choice.
Among the dogmas of faith, the Holy Trinity, the yuga in Hinduism, the four noble truths in Buddhism and the postulation or syādvāda in Jainism stand out in Christian theology.
Of course, it is understood that the individual will always have the freedom to explore other beliefs or change religion. What is totally inadmissible in the sects or with a tendency to fundamentalism.
Examples
Studies have detected among terrorists from Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and Al-Fatah, indicators of coercive persuasion, psychological abuse, in addition to a heavy load of indoctrination in those who immolate themselves. This doctrinal and alienating manipulation is systematically and consciously directed by a leader, just as it is done in sectarian or totalitarian groups.
Another type of indoctrination occurred during the Korean War in the 1950s, but this time towards prisoners of war through the Chinese revolutionary universities, which consisted of re-education processes with various behavior modification techniques.
Here it was evidenced that certain situations favored the action of sectarian groups, such as the crisis of religiosity, discontent with authority or marriage, facing death, etc.
Atheist indoctrination programs can also be detected in the former Socialist People's Republic of Albania and the former USSR. Both are based on the Marxist-Leninist atheism of their respective governments. Citizens were indoctrinated from kindergarten onward, and were even made to report to their parents if they continued with religious practices at home.
Indoctrination seems to have no ideological exclusivity, since this trend can also be detected in Spain during the Franco era. During Francisco Franco's regime, two mechanisms were present to indoctrinate the youth. These were the Youth Front and the Women's Section, perhaps inspired by the fascist regimes of Hitler and Mussolini.
References
- Pérez Porto, J. and Merino, M. (2017). Definition of indoctrination. Recovered Definition.of.
- Ibañez-Martin, JA (1988) Introduction to the concept of indoctrination. Spanish Journal of Pedagogy, N ° 22, p. 441-451,
- (2019, September 17). Wikipedia, The Encyclopedia. Recovered from es.wikipedia.org
- Trujillo, H., Alonso, F., Cuevas, JM and Moyano, M. Empirical evidence of manipulation and psychological abuse in the process of indoctrination and induced jihadist radicalization, Journal of Social Studies, 66 - October 2018 Recovered from journals.openedition. org
- Rodríguez Caballero, N. (2015) Indoctrination and education in Spain during the Franco regime (Final degree project). University of Extremadura, Spain.
- Wikipedia contributors. (2019, October 23. Indoctrination. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from wikipedia.org