One explanation for participation has been brainwashing, mind control, or thought reform theories. Young people have not joined the new religions willingly, but have been manipulated into participating by groups using powerful psychological techniques. These techniques supposedly trap people in new religions, allowing control of their behavior by the groups' leaders. Cults practice a more refined form of thought control than that used by the Chinese. Leading psychologist, Dr. Margaret Singer, said "Cults do it better than the Chinese because it is easier to get people to do what you want through manipulating them with guilt and anxiety. During this process the person is re-educated and will abandon the beliefs he or she has learned from life for the truth or enlightenment offered by the group. In some cults this is done over a long period of time, and other cults can bring this change within 48 hours. Whichever way the process takes place the results are the same." One study found that seventy-eight percent of a randomly drawn sample of 383 individuals from an urban county in a western state said that they believed in brainwashing, and thirty percent agree, "brainwashing is required to make someone join a religious cult." A similar question asked of a random sample of one thousand New York residents prior to the tax evasion trial of Reverend Moon revealed that forty-three percent agreed that, "brainwashing is required to make someone change from organized religion to a cult." Results from a random sample of Oregon residents who were asked about the controversial Rajneesh group showed a similar pattern. Sixty nine percent of the people in that poll agreed that members of the group were brainwashed. This is strong evidence that shows most people in our society believe that brainwashing exists. .
Despite all of the allegations of brainwashing, there are those who say that brainwashing does not exist and is not a useful concept.
