Indoctrination is a term mostly used to refer to religions or cults. It uses a variety of techniques in order to make a person accept and believe a certain dogma. In terms of cult indoctrination, the techniques used get pretty sinister, pretty quickly. Things may kick off with a bit of deception, perhaps hiding the whole truth of the goal of the "group". It might even involve encouraging the target to take mind-altering substances, making them much more suggestible. Some cults might use a technique known as "love-bombing". This involves flooding the new recruit with love, friendship, flattery, non-sexual touching and intense levels of personal attention. New recruits are often isolated, preventing them from having any kind of "reality check" until cult life becomes their new reality. They are also gradually made more and more dependent on their new leaders as all decision making responsibilities are taken from them - it is this aspect that attracts many people to cults in the first place, as having somebody else take responsibility is often a relief to begin with. Once you're in too deep, things start to get more sinister. Any ideas contrary to the doctrine are met with hostility, guilt and even punishment or sanctions, the aforementioned "love bombing" behaviour is withheld until the guilt is acknowledged, at which point it returns to reward "correct" behaviour. The sudden "turning" of the group, along with ceremony, chanting, routine, sleep deprivation, isolation, education and perhaps drug use, all combine to take the recruit out of "thinking" mode and into autopilot. Once all ties with the outside world are cut, the recruit feels as though the cult are their only family and leaving feel like an impossibility.
