I write and teach on the subject of boundaries. I’m also a family therapist and I am looking at what is happening where I live through that lens. I see what is happening in my country as much more than a struggle over boundaries. At this time, I see what is happening as psychological warfare. I didn’t make up the term ‘psychological warfare’. It’s a very specific set of strategies aimed against people.
As I watch the divisiveness in my country, it
is a divide that is rapidly expanding. Each expansion seems to drop us lower
and lower. Into what? How can this be taking us anywhere good? The evidence of
the divides is everywhere. Our sense of truth is distorted beyond recognition. Lying is a big part of psychological warfare.
In
the old days, the big channel for communicating your psychological war message
was radio, leaflets, and posters. And let’s remember, that was effective. But
now, social media and other channels provides an endless stream of opportunities for propaganda 24
hours a day. Imagine the increased efficacy.
Another
of the weapons being used is DARVO.
“DARVO
stands for "Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender." The
perpetrator or offender may Deny the behavior, Attack the individual doing the
confronting, and Reverse the roles of Victim and Offender such that the
perpetrator assumes the victim’s role and turns the true victim -- or the
whistle blower -- into an alleged offender.” Jennifer Freyd, Ph.D Professor of
Psychology at University of Oregon, Fellow 2018-19 Center for Advanced Study in
the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University
Let
me make DARVO clearer. A few years ago, Colin Kaepernick takes the knee to protest how black
people and other minorities have been treated in America. The DARVO twists his
personal protest into a statement that he is offending veterans and is un-American.
He was taking a knee for victims. Then suddenly his action is distorted into he
is victimizing others. That is a classic DARVO.
And
Colin Kaepernick’s protest turned into a media storm to just push out as much
as possible, an “interpretation” of his action. Rather than focusing on the
issues he was trying to call attention to.
Once
you see DARVO - you’ll see it over and over again. The victim is suddenly
turned into a perpetrator. We are being saturated in DARVO messaging in our
country. Every single day.
In
psychological warfare, atrocities are used to demoralize the population. Demoralizing - making you give up and feel hopeless is a weapon of psych warfare. The children
separated from their parents at the border is an example of a modern-day
atrocity.
Propaganda
is used to influence the values, beliefs, emotions,
reasoning, motives, or behavior of its targets. The goal is to win the hearts
and minds. There is nonstop talk of a “base”- which
base do you belong to? One of the things
we keep hearing over and over is the word “un-American”. Who is un-American?
Americans are not un-American.
It’s
not just that we are polarized. It’s that we are being made crazy. EVERYTHING
is being used against us. Most importantly, each other.
Step
back and ask yourself, who does all this divisiveness serve?
Who
gains from this psychological warfare on our country?
Stand
back and think about your strategy for a psychological war. A war is going on.
It is being waged on all of us. How will you deal with it?
It
is possible that the core freedoms of our country and our constitution can be taken
from us in a psychological war. Ask yourself who wins.
The way I am getting through this is I refuse to be dragged into battle against family members and friends who have different beliefs than me. I will stand up and stand with others. I will also try to figure out why there is a psychological war being waged in America. I urge us to stand together.
