Modern wars are waged according to completely different rules than those waged by our ancestors. And they bring much more destruction, as they often begin much earlier than people realize this. In a world dominated by technology and the media, psychological warfare has become the most acceptable method of struggle. It seems to some inhabitants that this concept primarily refers to the Third World countries, where poverty and lawlessness reign, and practically does not correlate with the civilized society of Western countries.
However, such a statement has no foundation, because we are all subject to certain influences, which may well be part of the information-psychological operation. That is how most wars are waged today, starting with the long and careful work of the special services. Their goal is the emergence of riots, the overthrow of the ruling elite, the undermining of the economy, which ultimately leads to real military action. If it seems to you that all this belongs to the category of fabrications, then read our article. Perhaps after this, terms such as “propaganda” and “psychological warfare” will become much clearer to you.
Explain the concept
There is often and much talk about psychological warfare. This term is often used by politicians, journalists and the military. The media are even trying to intimidate the townsfolk, using it with or without. So what is psychological warfare really? Is it worth it to fear? And how to understand that it is already underway? We will try to answer all these questions in the article, and now let's turn to terminology.
The inhabitants in their entire mass do not even imagine that the term can have two meanings. They are similar to each other on many points, but still have certain differences in the nuances that significantly change the wording itself.
So, psychological warfare from the point of view of professionals is understood as an activity of a certain orientation, organized by the special services of one state and aimed at the civilian population and military units of another. This activity is characterized as a psychological impact, and its main goal is to achieve the military and political objectives. Interestingly, the understanding of professionalism in this kind of war has a very vague framework. High-level specialists are suitable for them, corresponding to three main selection parameters:
- possession of scientific knowledge in the required field;
- availability of special training;
- practical experience of psychological treatment and impact on people.
It is impossible to start such a war without the sanction of the head of state; in countries with a strong legislative base, this rule is clearly observed. However, in states where there are problems with the legislature, psychological warfare can be launched by certain groups. For example, industrialists or political groups. They take control of the sources of information and begin to act in every way to achieve the goal.
Even the ancient Chinese were very fluent in psychological methods. One of the philosophers in the sixth century BC outlined them in his treatise. He singled out twelve basic methods that were to uniquely lead to victory. They included: discrediting all the achievements of the enemy in his country, involving political leaders in illegal activities, undermining the prestige of the ruling elite, establishing contacts with criminal elements capable of everything for the sake of receiving money, and so on.
In a simpler, philistine sense, psychological warfare is a spontaneous phenomenon. It is expressed in the use of all mechanisms of verbal communication by some groups against others in order to subjugate them or create special conditions for their existence. In this form, war has existed since the advent of mankind. However, over the course of many centuries, direct communication was used mainly in the process of its conduct. Influence was provided through the word, gestures, facial expressions and emotions. Today, methods of psychological impact are more diverse. This is facilitated by the accumulated experience and specially developed mass management technologies.
Often we talk about psychological warfare in situations that in reality have absolutely nothing to do with it. In such cases, the term takes on some everyday meaning. For example, it is often used when it comes to election campaigns, confrontation between ethnic groups or the negotiation process of competing organizations.
Combining these two concepts, we can conclude that the combination of various methods, forms of exposure and technology on people is a psychological war in the broad sense of the word. However, do not forget about its purpose. The aim of psychological warfare is always to change the worldview of people, values, motivation and other psychological characteristics. Influence can be exerted on a certain group of citizens or society as a whole in order to completely change the mood of the masses.
The process of psychological warfare in different countries: features
Today in almost any state there is a continuous process of uniting certain forces in order to achieve political, ideological or military goals. Moreover, the cultural and historical traditions of the country leave a serious imprint on this process.
In some states, psychological impact is taken very seriously. To conduct an information-psychological warfare, special units are formed. The personnel selection in them is quite tough: employees undergo training according to various programs, master the secret techniques of subordinating the mind and receive special equipment. Such units can operate in almost any conditions, while they can direct their knowledge by order from above both to their own people and to citizens of another country. Most often, these units are part of the structure of the armed forces. Similar units existed in the Soviet Union, and today they are present in the USA and China, for example.
Other countries choose a different path of psychological warfare. They also create special structures, but find them active application in everyday life. By order of the leadership, they carry out tasks for national security purposes. In their hands are effective campaign materials, thanks to which the set propaganda and ideological tasks are solved. This practice is widely used in European countries (Great Britain, France, and so on).
In some states, the psi factor is used universally. Each source of the media, regardless of its affiliation - state or commercial, is headed by a qualified specialist who owns propaganda techniques and successfully implements them in their activities. A similar approach is typical for Indonesia and the Philippines, for example. That is, we can say that modern wars are waged endlessly and are primarily psychological.
Turning to the story: a few facts
It is difficult to fully understand the possible scale and destruction of psychological warfare if we do not turn to history. How dangerous is this? Ever since ancient times, military propaganda was considered the best way to demoralize the enemy. This art was perfectly mastered by all the great commanders. It is known that even Genghis Khan, before setting off on another campaign, spread rumors about a new powerful weapon that could not be resisted. Hannibal and the Persian king Xerxes did the same.
It is noteworthy that campaign material is not always chosen correctly, and a mistake may well be worth a victory. The most striking illustration of this statement is the war of Spain and England in the sixteenth century. The Spaniards, planning to defeat the enemy at sea, to discredit the royal family distributed a leaflet where they discredited the honor of the Queen. According to their plans, the indignant people had to rebel against their government, which would accelerate the victory of the Spaniards. However, the British loved their queen so much that they were deeply outraged by the slander against her. As a result, even those who were in opposition to the royal family took up the defense of the country. Spain suffered a shameful defeat in this war.
As you can see, the conduct of psychological warfare is not an easy task. It requires great sophistication and practical skills. Today, special services of different countries are very actively involved in this issue, improving their methodological base.
Methodology
The theory and practice of processing mass consciousness in a psychological war is necessarily studied by specialists of special units. The process of managing people and changing their consciousness has already risen to the level of science, and therefore has its own methods. In the classic version there are four of them:
- psychological means;
- military means;
- sanctions system;
- political means.
We will tell you a little more about each method.
The impact of psychological means
If we talk about the influence exerted on the masses within the country by the government, then it can be carried out at the expense of the media. They promote patriotism, create a positive image of the government, and form priorities that are pleasing to the state. In parallel, psychological influence on the same people by the forces of the enemy is possible. He seeks to implement opposing ideas, to create a decadent mood among the masses, to create the impression of failed economic and political measures taken by the government. As a result, this leads to a certain degree of moral fatigue. The people begin to get confused in motives, and the level of morale decreases. A similar technique is effective on the eve of any armed conflict.
Military means
This method is actively used today by the United States. In their practice, it is considered the norm to show the enemy their combat power in order to demoralize him and get what he wants. For example, a government can send a flotilla of warships to the shores of another state or deploy missiles at the border. Once upon a time, the Soviet Union also used military means for the purpose of psychological impact. An example is the Caribbean crisis caused by the deployment of nuclear warheads in Cuba in the closest proximity to the United States.
Sanctions machine
The economy of each state is closely interconnected with other countries. Therefore, the potential adversary’s forces can be undermined by the consistent introduction of economic and trade sanctions. This method is very effective in relation to the countries of the so-called third world. They immediately decrease the level and quality of life, increase mortality and the percentage of morbidity, there are food problems and domestic difficulties. Naturally, among the masses this creates discontent, resulting in street demonstrations and calls for the overthrow of power.
Political Impacts
This technique is considered one of the most complex, since it requires serious preparation and virtuosity of performance achieved by experience. There are a lot of forms of such an impact. For example, the prepared demarche of the opposition to the government or banned organizations. It can provoke a serious confrontation between political movements and groups among themselves.
Types of exposure
Psychological warfare involves the widespread use of various types of exposure. Of course, not one of the country's special services will reveal its secrets, but nevertheless, there is some unity among experts in the classification of these types:
- psychological information;
- psychogenic;
- psychoanalytic;
- neuro-linguistic;
- psychotronic;
- psychotropic.
The types of psychological impact listed by us have their own characteristics and are designed to perform certain tasks.
Information-psychological impact on the consciousness of the individual
This option is used everywhere, because the effect itself occurs through ordinary words and information, which means that it can be applied to all segments of the population.
The goals and objectives of this type of impact are set as widely as possible. People must form political views that are different from the existing ones, change their ideology, and have new beliefs that can cause violent emotions. Thanks to this, the psyche of the masses becomes mobile, and ordinary emotions can be transformed, if necessary, into certain reactions.
In its simplest form, the information-psychological effect looks like a leaflet. It is the mechanism that is designed to shake the confidence and calm of the opponent, causing in him a very strong emotional reaction of a positive or negative nature. Thus, one can raise a patriotic spirit or, conversely, cause panic among the civilian population or in the military ranks.
Psychogenic effects
To apply this type, good equipment, training, scientific knowledge and practice are required. There are two ways to do this:
- Through real physical effects on the brain of a person. As a result, disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system occur, which changes mental activity. The desired result can be achieved by injuring the individual. For example, a traumatic brain injury permanently knocks a person out of order, and in many cases becomes a cause of disability. But when we talk about the impact in the framework of psychological warfare, this approach is ineffective, as it is designed to incapacitate specific people. Therefore, experts use the effect on the masses with sound, light, a certain color combination or temperature changes. As a result, physiological reactions completely change mental activity and emotional color in both one person and a large number of people.
- By shock. Often the pictures of death and destruction introduce even a trained person into a stupor. He may get lost in space and panic, in the future he will need specialized help to return to reality and lead a normal lifestyle, making rational decisions.
One of the most effective ways of psychogenic effects used by special services is very often color. It is proved that the right color scheme on leaflets, for example, can lead to the desired psycho-emotional state, regardless of its informative component. The main thing in this matter is to take into account the type of human nervous system and the cultural traditions of the ethnos. Indeed, in different nations the same color can cause completely opposite reactions. Take the white color. Among Western nations, it is associated with tenderness and purity, but among the Japanese and some other Asian peoples, it symbolizes death. Therefore, specialists in the preparation of psychological warfare and psychogenic effects try to study all the cultural characteristics and traditions of the enemy from the inside.
Psychoanalytic effect
Specialists who can influence a person’s subconscious mind and invest certain settings in him exist in every special services of the world. They work in many ways, but always achieve good results. Most often, in the process of exposure, hypnosis, suggestion in the phase of deep sleep, as well as techniques that allow you to put the right information into the consciousness of awake people are used. A special skill is the ability to suppress the psychological resistance of the masses and influence them, adjusting behavior in accordance with the program laid down.
The trigger of the correction can be words, images, pictures, sounds and even aromas. An experienced specialist can lay almost any information or behavior style in the subconscious mind and activate it at the right time.
Neuro-linguistic impact
Popularly, this method is known as neuro-linguistic programming and represents the introduction of certain programs into the consciousness of an individual. This is a rather complex process consisting of several stages. It is built on the internal contradictions of a person, which cause discomfort in him. And here the psi factor plays a very important role. , , . . , , .
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Most often it is carried out to the masses, since the programming method itself was originally designed for large crowds of people. Psychotronic exposure implies obtaining a result by transmitting information at an unconscious level.
In this category, you can include the work of psychics, the notorious "25 frame" and dowsing installations, for example. All these methods have one mechanism of action - they enable the body to receive information without passing it through consciousness. Thus, it directly enters the brain and acts on the nerve endings.
Today, the creation of psychotronic weapons is a priority in the work of secret scientific laboratories of each state. It is believed that its creation will instantly change the balance of power in the world and lead to a third world war.
Psychotropic effects
It turns out to be various medicines, chemical or biological substances. Moreover, they can be of both natural origin and synthesized in laboratories. For example, the drug B-Zet is well known in narrow circles. He is able in a few seconds to turn an organized group of people into an uncontrollable crowd, capable of any crime.
Some experts synthesize and combine various odors that can affect people in a certain way. For example, one of the options for this action is successfully used by marketers in shopping centers: the smell of fresh pastries provokes a desire to go to a cafe and have lunch, while the aroma of citrus fruits cheers you up and contributes to a lot of money. The same principle is also used to provoke a feeling of disgust from an entire battalion of soldiers or attacks of vomiting.
Biological substances are also able to reduce the morale of the enemy. Based on them, mixtures are created that can, for example, dissolve the pavement or destroy the iron structures of buildings and bridges.
In conclusion, I want to say that so far no government in the world knows how to withstand the psychological impact. Special services are simultaneously working on the creation of new technologies to demoralize the enemy and protect their population. However, even employees of top-secret laboratories cannot be sure that there will be a winner and a loser in the expanded psychological warfare.