The 7 Elements of Indoctrination

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Most people don’t want the truth. They want to be right. And if the truth gets in the way of being right, their minds will do something odd – they will lock down. And according to the philosopher Chris Ranalli, when this happens, we should start to call it indoctrination.

Jonny Thompson

Indoctrination isn’t just about what you believe, but whether your ideas and viewpoints are subject to questioning, reflection, and potential re-evaluation. Indoctrination blinds people. It short circuits critical thinking. Indoctrination implants an internal defense mechanism that pre-emptively wards off other viewpoints.

Any contrary view is considered to be irrational or immoral.

– Chris Ranalli

The Seven Elements

  1. A Life Crossroads – Target individuals in vulnerable, transitional states who are seeking a new direction.
  2. The Soft Sell – Initial, low-pressure invitations to meetings, workshops, or retreats that seem benign or helpful.
  3. A New Reality (Isolation) – Immerse the recruit in a controlled, isolated, environment away from friends, family, and information.
  4. The Dear Leader – Foster intense, pesonal loyalty to a charismatic, self-proclaimed, narcissistic, leader who is rarely questioned.
  5. The External Enemy – Create a common enemy to fear. This justifies the groups actions while making them feel dependent for protection.
  6. Peer Pressure – Use the group to pressure individuals into compliance. This can happen through excessive affection or through shaming.
  7. Complete Cognitive Control (Brainwashing) – Break down an idividual’s former identity and beliefs through techniques like sleep deprivation, dietary changes, repetitive chanting, or study. The new identity is totally devoted to the group or leader.

Self-Indoctrination

To those who know something about the history of cultic movements or the treatment of prisoners of war in certain conflicts, these elements are familiar – but perhaps somewhat distant. It is important to recognize that social media allows bad actors to leverage online algorithms in order to indoctrinate large numbers of people without them even realizing they are being manipulated.

Indoctrination no longer needs to be done in person. Enticing invitations on social media can cause people to isolate themselves on their phones for long periods of time; while algorithms lead them ever deeper down the rabbit hole of propaganda that supports the dear leader. This leads to increasing isolation as the new “reality” they begin to believe in alienates them from friends and family who have NOT exposed themselves to the indoctrination.

The victim soon finds new “friends,” who see the world as they now do, and begins to evangelize their newly implanted world view using the same social media tools that blinded them. Truth no longer matters to indoctrinated people. For them, reality becomes a simple matter of identity. “Whose side are you on?” becomes their most important question.

Thanks to social media, people now willingly brainwash themselves.

Sources:
Leonardo Perego, “The Secret Attraction of Cults,” BBIAS, March 6, 2022.
Jonny Thompson, “Ranalli: Introduction,” YouTube.
Jonny Thompson, “The philosophy of indoctrination and how to fix it,” MiniPhilosophy, Substack, March 4, 2026.
Chris Ranalli, “Closed-Minded Belief and Indoctrination,” American Philosophical Quarterly, January 2022.
Chris Ranalli, The Philosophy of Indoctrination: Epistemology, Ethics, and Politics, Routledge, 2024.

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