By Yana Korobko.
It was Napoleon who was already mentioning the mighty of psychological weapon, which can be described as the use of activities that cause fear and anxiety in the people you want to influence without hurting them physically. This type of war differs from all others mainly by the object of its influence, which is the consciousness of people and its transformation through propaganda or ideological campaigns based on carefully planned strategies and tactics directed towards achievement of specific goals. The main weapons of the psywar aren`t tanks, nor the missiles, but the weapon of a new type: information.
It can be transmitted through radio, television, slogans, books, newspapers, magazines, conferences and other means for reaching and affecting the thinking and emotions of the mass public. The psywar may be also carried on at a more limited, sophisticated level in an effort to mislead or confuse policymakers or military commanders. To the greatest extent the psywar develops on unconscious level and it is invisible for a human eye. It includes all set of political, military, economic and social activities carried out during war period aimed at remodeling thoughts and actions of the humans. That is why in XXI century the psycho-informational combat is considered to be among the most dangerous. Its most known types are the following:
1) information-psychological,
2) psychogenic ;
3) psychoanalytic ;
4) neurolinguistic ;
5) psychotronic;
6) psychotropic.
1. Information-psychological (often called ideological)
The psychological impact of this type of weaponry, as its main goal, has the formation of the certain ideological (social) ideas, opinions, ideas, beliefs, with aim of making people experience positive or negative emotions, feelings, and even cause violent mass reaction. Thus, a leaflet with a propaganda effect can simultaneously cause the psychological experience, such as feeling homesick at the battlefield.
Example: Some political statements made by the American and Soviet leaders during Cold War, so that to influence the course of events in one`s own favor, however, without any following practical actions, which mainly served to gain time. They were lately labeled as propaganda.
2. The psychogenic influence leaves profound physical effects on the brain of an individual, which leads to malfunction in its psychological activity. For example, a person receives a brain injury as a result of which he/she loses memory and the ability to think rationally. Or any shocking environmental conditions and events, e.g. the scene of the mass destruction with many victims, which result in person`s lost ability of space orientation with emanant depression, panic etc. So, the lesser humans are prepared to the stressful influence of the war reality, the more traumatic their experience can be. It`s been scientifically proved that even the use of specific colors creates essential emotional atmosphere, which can facilitate the perception and the assimilation of the information; whereas the wrongly chosen color in its relation to the informational content of event can cause emotional dissonance. And as a consequence, the message will not be delivered, as information was not transmitted correctly.
Example: Hoge and his colleagues released their study in 2004 showing that about one in six returning soldiers faced severe mental disorders, but those conclusions were based on interviews with about 6,000 soldiers. In the latest study, exposure to combat was found to be the one factor most closely associated with mental problems. Among the 21,822 Iraq veterans who reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, 79.6% had engaged in combat or witnessed people being wounded or killed. Among the 200,798 who did not have the disorder, 47.8% had done so.
3. Psychoanalytic influence includes all subliminal therapeutic agents, used especially in a state of hypnosis or deep sleep. There are also methods that exclude the conscious resistance of individuals as well as of groups of people in awakening state. For example, in former USSR the professor I.V.Smirnov, following the instructions of the Ministry of Defense, developed the technology of the computer psychoanalytical correction, allowing:
• to perform statistical analysis of the reactions to the external stimuli and to determine absolutely accurately a reaction of an unaware person in response to specific information, as well as to measure its significance to him\her, to identify hidden motivations and true aspirations;
• if necessary, to carry out correction of mental states using words, pictures, images, and even smell-associated motivators that create certain type of behavior.
In particular, a person who listens to music, does not suspect that the melody composition influences greatly his\her consciousness, especially, subconscious mind with that information, which is initially implanted in it. And this makes this person do what is suggested to do by it.
Example: The Chinese strategist Sun Tzu stated that the most noble victory was to subdue his enemy without a fight. Another example is the successful exploits of Genghis Khan (the Mongolian General Temujin), who would soften his enemy’s will to resist by spreading rumors about his own army’s strength and fierceness. His planning was simple and, seemingly, relevant and effective.
Neuro-linguistic influence (NLP – Neuro-Linguistic Programming) incorporates all kinds of psychological impact that can change people`s motivation by introducing into their consciousness special language programs. In this case, the main object is the neuro-physiological activity of the brain and emerging, thanks to it, psycho-emotional state. The main means of influence are the specially selected words, as well as non-verbal linguistic program. By learning their contents one can change beliefs, opinions and ideas of a single individual as well as of groups of people. The schematic formula of the process of inflicting changes upon psyche of an observed person under targeted exterior influence can be drawn as follows :
Example: During World War II, propaganda activities became known as psychological warfare (psywar). Public broadcast radio, about 20 years old at this point, was called into play. Tank-mounted loudspeakers with a range of approximately two miles amplified the ability of the human voice to reach opposing combatants. Besides media programs, military actions were undertaken for their psychological effect.
5. Psychotronic (psychic, psychic) is delivery of information through extrasensory (unconscious) perception. This term was first coined in 1967 by Zdeněk Rejdák.
The psychotronic weapons focus mainly on the practices related to the use of technical means of influence on the mind, for example, sublimation of the sound and visual messages. At present it is too early to speak about its active use as a means of the psychological warfare, as yet, it has not been studied sufficiently in comparison to other psychological weapons.
Example: Each war produces its own traumatic syndrome. The trench warfare of World War I produced the shaking and partial paralysis known as shell shock. The long tours and heavy fighting of World War II induced in many young men the numbed exhaustion that was called combat fatigue.
6. Psychotropic effects imply the impact of drugs, chemical or biological agents on the psyche of people. To make a man do, towards which he is not inclined, without compelling him by force. Today no one can guarantee that this weaponry has not been created with aim of organizing “natural” protest demonstrations, or stimulating behavior of the crowd. Moreover, there is information about creation of so-called neurotransmitters, which incite aggressive behavior.
Example: In 2011 more than 110,000 active-duty US Army troops were taking prescribed antidepressants, narcotics, sedatives, antipsychotics and anti-anxiety drugs, according to figures recently disclosed to The Times by the U.S. Army surgeon general. Nearly 8% of the active-duty Army is now on sedatives and more than 6% is on antidepressants — an eightfold increase since 2005.
Thus, some elements of psywar (propaganda, misinformation) were known and employed since the notion of a “war” appeared itself. However, psywar gained its popularity only during World War I, after which, it was rarely considered as a serious mean for fighting an enemy, owing to insufficient number of specialists involved in military psychology at that time. The conception of psywar was only revived in 1980s with the statements of Ronald Reagan, which he made against the Soviet Union by characterizing it as an “evil empire”. In early 1984 the President directed Department Of Defense to rebuild the American military psychological capabilities. In response, the Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger launched a master plan aiming at the total reformation of the military psychological capabilities of DOD that could have been flexibly adapted to times of peace, crisis, and war. Nowadays psywar is an integral part of waging a war campaign in all corners of the world.
Undoubtedly, psychological weapon is effective, secretive and it is often difficult to detect. Psywar can demoralize, disorient, and confuse hostile groups. Against such groups, psychological operations are employed as offensive weapons to enhance the overall effectiveness of military operations. However, they also can unite, inform, and strengthen the morale of non-hostile groups. Therefore, the use of psychological weapon is often contradictory. These facts indicate the need for development of strong basis of international legislation for protection of the human psyche from the unconscious destructive informational influence, which is currently much restrained and cannot respond effectively to the risks that the development of the modern psychological warfare entails.
