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

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