Colliers United Methodist Church How do you brainwash someone? Edgar Schein was one of the first psychologists who studied brainwashing. He identified three stages, through which a person is kept unaware of the process and the converting activities are presented as friendly and lighthearted. Unfreezing: A person’s current belief system is shaken so that they start to doubt themselves and seek different ways of understanding their world. Changing: This changing phase is where new behaviors, beliefs, and values are taught to the targeted person. Schein identified the following processes that are used during brainwashing: 1. New identification — indoctrination sessions and personal relations; 2. Behavior modification techniques — reward and punishment; 3. Mystical manipulation — coincidental or inevitable events as spiritual signs; 4. Mind-altering techniques — hypnosis, repetition, monotony, and rhythm; and 5. Eliciting of confession — forcibly and continually extracted.