In 1976, when Steve was deeply entrenched within the Moonies cult and brainwashed by Sun-Myung Moon, it was Lifton’s seminal work, Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism, which helped him break free. After learning about Lifton’s Eight Criteria to Evaluate Thought Reform, Steve sought out Lifton to help him understand his experience under mind control. Lifton was an Air Force psychiatrist studying brainwashing in China. He encouraged Steve to study psychology and ultimately set Steve on the path that would define his entire life. Lifton’s work only becomes more relevant in these trying times, offering wisdom and moral clarity. Lifton’s work sought to understand and analyze the motivation and drive behind some of the darkest events in modern human history, such as:
- The psychological aftermath of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- The moral struggles of Vietnam War veterans
- The role of Nazi doctors, such as Karl Mengele, in enabling Adolf Hitler’s genocide
- The unprecedented presidency of Donald Trump and the grip he has on his followers
Lifton was really the grandfather of “dark psychology”. His work shed light on the depths of human cruelty but also highlighted the resilience of survivors and humanity’s boundless endurance.
For more on his life and work, check out his website.
Obituaries and Remembrances of Dr. Lifton
Here is Steve’s Livestream commemorating Dr. Lifton’s life and work.
The New York Times published an excellent obituary.
The news program, Democracy Now, published this remembrance.
Here is Dr. Steven Moffic’s eulogy of Dr. Lifton in the Psychiatric Times, and his remembrance of Dr. Lifton in honor of Grandparents’ Day.
Steve's Complete Interviews with Dr. Lifton
Steven’s first videotaped interview with Dr. Lifton in 2011 really gives a great introduction to his work. Eventually, Steven would tape over a dozen interviews with his mentor and friend.
Here is the complete playlist of those interviews on YouTube.
Blog Posts About Dr. Lifton's Work
Surviving our Catastrophes: Celebrating the Resilience and Renewal of Survivors with Robert Jay Lifton, M.D. – September 7th, 2023
Moving from Victim to Survivor in Precarious Times — A Conversation with Robert Jay Lifton, M.D. – July 11th, 2022
Surviving Catastrophic Events: An Interview With Dr. Robert Lifton – September 1, 2021
Robert Jay Lifton, M.D. Discusses Trump and His New Book, Losing Reality – January 16th, 2020
Dr. Robert Jay Lifton on Trump, COVID-19, and Racism: The Struggle for Reality and Oppression – July 9th, 2020
Dr. Robert Jay Lifton on Trump, Democracy, COVID-19, Climate Change Crisis and the Election – December 24th, 2020
Robert Jay Lifton’s Eight Criteria of Thought Reform (Brainwashing, Mind Control) – May 30th, 2019
The Solipsistic Reality of President Trump: A Discussion with Dr. Robert Jay Lifton – June 27, 2019
Robert Jay Lifton, MD: An Interview with a Genius – October 7, 2016
Dr. Lifton's books
Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism: A Study of “Brainwashing” in China
First published in 1961, this is the seminal work that provided the world with the Eight Criteria for Thought Reform.
Destroying the World to Save It: Aum Shinrikyō, Apocalyptic Violence, and the New Global Terrorism
A groundbreaking of the inner life of a modern millenial cult, exploring the terrifying global implications of such groups.
Witness to an Extreme Century: a Memoir
Dr. Lifton lived an extraordinary life in extraordinary times; this is his classic 2011 memoir.
The Protean Self: Human Resilience in an Age of Fragmentation
Using examples from literature alongside interviews with people from all walks of life, this book celebrates the resilience of the human spirit.
The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide
This powerful and important book presents a brilliant analysis of the crucial role that German doctors played in the Nazi genocide.
Losing Reality: On Cults, Cultism, and the Mindset of Political and Religious Zealotry
This book explores how the psychological relationship between extremist political movements and fanatical religious cults may be much closer than anyone thought.
The Climate Swerve: Reflections on Mind, Hope, and Survival
Climate change presents us with what may be the most demanding and unique psychological task ever required of humankind: mobilizing our imaginative resources toward climate sanity.
Surviving Our Catastrophes: Resilience and Renewal from Hiroshima to the COVID-19 Pandemic
This moving and ultimately hopeful meditation on the psychological aftermath of catastrophe shows us how to cope with the lasting effects and legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Death in Life: Survivors of Hiroshima
This classic study, winner of the 1969 National Book Award in Science, studies the psychological effects of the bomb on 90,000 survivors of the explosion of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima in 1945.
Home from the War: Learning From Vietnam Veterans
A powerful critique of American militarism during the Vietnam War, this book is recognized as the ultimate text for those working with Vietnam veterans.
Superpower Syndrome: America’s Apocalyptic Confrontation With the World
This book explores how the United States – from its leaders to much of its people – feels itself painfully vulnerable and thinks of itself as a survivor nation.
Who Owns Death? Capital Punishment, the American Conscience, and the End of Executions
In this timely book, Dr. Lifton joins forces with Greg Mitchell to investigate the mindsets of individuals involved in the death penalty.
Hiroshima in America: Fifty Years of Denial
Written with Greg Mitchell, this book is a study of the events surrounding the Hiroshima bombing, focusing on its affects in America.
The Genocidal Mentality: Nazi Holocaust and Nuclear Threat
This book, written with Eric Markusen, examines the psychological problems arising from dependence on nuclear weapons.
Indefensible Weapons: The Political and Psychological Case against Nuclearism
Written with Richard A. Falk, this book examines the premises of the arguments in favor of maintaining nuclear weapons capability, and how recovery after nuclear warfare is unlikely.
The Future of Immortality and Other Essays for a Nuclear Age
These collected essays, reflecting on the many aspects of humanity, from brutality to grace, forcefully drive home the realization that we must survive or die as a species.
The Broken Connection: On Death and the Continuity of Life
This book examines the phenomenon of death and the flow of life, emphasizing the vital importance to the individual’s life of a sense of continuity and of an awareness and acceptance of death.
Six Lives/Six Deaths: Portraits from Modern Japan
This book, written with Shuichi Kato and Michael Reich, is a collection of biographical sketches showing how six writers and public figures prepared for their deaths.
Revolutionary Immortality: Mao Tse-Tung and the Chinese Cultural Revolution
This book explores the Cultural Revolution in China and the relationship of individual psychology to historical change.
The Life of the Self: Toward a New Psychology
This book articulates concepts and principles developed by Lifton through various studies and writings, integrating Freudian and post-Freudian assumptions into a view of life’s continuity and the self’s powers of assimilation and renewal
Living and Dying
Written with Eric Olson, this book examines the psychological and cultural significance of death.
Boundaries: Psychological Man in Revolution
A profound exploration of the psychological impact of modern-day upheaval, revolution, and the evolution of the self.
History and Human Survival: Essays on the Young and the Old, Survivors and the Dead, Peace and War, and on Contemporary Psychohistory
A collection of essays from 1970.
Birds
These delightful bird cartoons provide a humorous and yet profound exploration into the foibles of the human existence.
PsychoBirds
The second collection of these cartoons, as delightful, witty, and profound as the first.