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The Conversation USA

'Deprogramming' QAnon followers ignores free will and why they adopted the beliefs in the first place

  • Written by Paul Thomas, Chair and Professor of Religious Studies, Radford University
imageMany of those arrested in the U.S. Capitol siege on Jan. 6, 2021, were QAnon believers.Win McNamee/Getty Images

Recent calls to deprogram QAnon conspiracy followers are steeped in discredited notions about brainwashing. As popularly imagined, brainwashing is a coercive procedure that programs new long-term personality changes. Deprogramming, also...

Read more: 'Deprogramming' QAnon followers ignores free will and why they adopted the beliefs in the first...

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