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- INTRODUCTION
- PSYCHOLOGICAL ACTION

- PROPAGANDA
- Model of Tchakhotine
- strategic Propaganda
- tactical Propaganda

- MISINFORMATION
- signs
- operations
- channels
- Objects of the misinformation

- ACTIVE MEASUREMENTS
- Assassination and intoxication
- subversion

- The PLANNING Of PSYCHOLOGICAL ACTION
- CONCLUSION
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
- APPENDIX 1

Acceuil


PSYCHOLOGICAL ACTION


As mentioned previously, the psychological action (psychological operations) is defined like the planned or programmed use of all forms of noncoercive human actions indicated to influence the attitudes or the actions of the groups enemy, neutral or combined so as to serve the national interests (McLaurin, 1982). It is thus a question of affecting the behaviors of a target by the intermediary of cognitions or the emotions. The purpose of the psychological actions are either to change perceptions of the enemy leaders on our intentions, or to modify the attitudes of the population and the soldiers or or to support movements which follow the interests of the actor. The target of the actions determines if those are offensive or defensive (McLaurin, 1982). When the recipients are foreign the action is known as offensive whereas when the action is directed towards its own population it is known as defensive (Durandin, 1993). Its use is not only in times of war, which tends to moderate the traditional definitions of wars and peace (McLaurin, 1982).

Bloom (1991) gives 7 reasons making the psychological actions more advantageous than the use of the force to achieve goals:

  1. they are less expensive,
  2. they make it possible to reach a greater number of objectives,
  3. all actions or situations have psychological significances which can be used by the psychological actions,
  4. the population is unfavorable for the use of the force and the psychological actions become a popular means to impose its policies,
  5. the dilemmas of safety are psychological phenomena which can have more effect on the actions of the antagonist than a show of force,
  6. the psychological actions make it possible to achieve goals without loss of life and
  7. the psychological actions can be established without the target realizing some.

Bloom (1991) distinguishes two types of psychological actions: active propaganda and measurements. For this work the misinformation was regarded as a third type of psychological action because it can be used at the same time to support active propaganda and measurements, but also to be an operation in it even. In times of war, these three actions can come to merge and the delimitation between the three becomes nebulous.




 

attention-span.net











- INTRODUCTION
- PSYCHOLOGICAL ACTION

- PROPAGANDA
- Model of Tchakhotine
- strategic Propaganda
- tactical Propaganda

- MISINFORMATION
- signs
- operations
- channels
- Objects of the misinformation

- ACTIVE MEASUREMENTS
- Assassination and intoxication
- subversion

- The PLANNING Of PSYCHOLOGICAL ACTION
- CONCLUSION
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
- APPENDIX 1

Acceuil


PROPAGANDA


Propaganda is defined by Linebarger (1972) like any kind of communication without average violent one used to modify the opinion, the attitude, the emotions or the behaviors of any group with an aim of supporting the user (military or not) directly or indirectly. For Bloom (1991), they are stimuli (sign and symbol) which transport a message via media of communication. The current majority of the techniques of propaganda developed with the courses of the two world wars (Jowett, 1987)

Although the methods of propaganda and publicity tend more and more to resemble each other (market research, target population, etc.), Durandin (1993) distinguishes it from publicity by the only fact that it carries a political message, ideological or public interests rather than commercial and than it leaves less place to the "free will" to appear.

According to Durandin (1993), propaganda uses information to exert an influence on the attitudes. This information aims at leading a modification of the data processing at the individual in order to make him perceive reality differently (Durandin, 1993). The propagandist hopes to modify control starting from this change of perceptions or opinion. (Durandin, 1993) the purpose of propaganda is to exert an influence on the individual or a group either to make it act in a given direction or or to make it passive and to dissuade it to be opposed to certain actions (Durandin, 1993). By its dependence on information, the difference between the misinformation and propaganda are mean.

Although for Bloom (1991) the conveyed message must be veracious in major part, the propagandist can add misinformation to his propaganda either by ajoutant/inventant information confirming his thesis or or by hiding information which cancels its thesis. On the other hand propaganda is distinguished from the misinformation by the fact that it is not always untrue. Indeed, statement the truth is often simpler than to lie. Moreover, according to McLaurin (1982), that makes it possible to keep the confidence of its population and to reduce the mistrust of the antagonist. In addition, the misinformation has the disadvantage of making lose any credibility with the transmitter if the lie is exposed to the great day.

Following the use that made Hitler and Stalin of it, propaganda has a negative connotation now. Certain authors (for example Fuller, 1920; to see McLaurin 1982) describe it as being a corruption of the human reason, a mining of intellect, a disintegration of moral and spiritual life of a nation by the will of another. It does not prevent nevertheless that the use of propaganda is still very contemporary (message of public interests on the packages of cigarettes, message of Canada Inheritance, etc).




 

attention-span.net











- INTRODUCTION
- PSYCHOLOGICAL ACTION

- PROPAGANDA
- Model of Tchakhotine
- strategic Propaganda
- tactical Propaganda

- MISINFORMATION
- signs
- operations
- channels
- Objects of the misinformation

- ACTIVE MEASUREMENTS
- Assassination and intoxication
- subversion

- The PLANNING Of PSYCHOLOGICAL ACTION
- CONCLUSION
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
- APPENDIX 1

Acceuil


MODELES


Model of Tchakhotine

Tchakhotine (1952, to see Volkoff, 1986) while being based on the theory of the conditioned reflexes of Pavlov, like on a classification of the human impulses analyzed the mechanisms of handling propagandist. According to him, generally, the success of propaganda depends on the skill of the propagandist to associate one of the topics which it develops with one of the four major impulses human being (aggressiveness, material satisfaction, sexual desire, parental love). The individual subjected to these impulses would act in an unconscious way in accordance with what was dictated to him. By studying the various companies of propaganda, Tchakhotine was brought to notice the importance of the judicious use of the psychological symbols (anthems, logo, etc.) that it regards as the key of propaganda. The symbols function not only like one sign of recognition between individuals being claimed of the same community of thought, but also like conditional stimulus. The examples of propaganda having recourse to a symbol are extremely numerous. The symbol strikes and suggests without informing, it calls upon emotivity. Moreover, according to this author, approximately 10% of the population ("credits") would not be likely A being influenced by propaganda. To convince these "credits" the propagandist should develop very strong arguments. On the other hand, it notes that 90 % of the population are likely with propaganda (the passive ones) and that that is amply sufficient to reach a majority.

Fascistic propaganda

Clyde Miller (see Vorkoff, 1986) A establishes laws concerning the good course of fascistic propaganda:

1 to suggest the fear and to then make foresee the possibility of reaching safety by the suggested actions,

2 to put the new ideas in relation to ideas which are usual for them to make them accept by the masses,

3 to have a relatively restricted number of sharp and concise formulas so that they become symbols,

4 unceasingly to expose the population to propaganda,

5 to support the force with propaganda to prevent the other ideas from expressing itself,

6 to employ the exaggeration and

7 to adapt propaganda according to the audience to which have addresses.

Although this type of propaganda is less and less influential because of the new means of telecommunication, it is interesting to note that in Italy, at present, Silvio Berlusconi of the party Forza Italia (see Almeida, 1995) employs a good majority of these techniques to put forward left political.

Propaganda vary according to their target. Strategic propaganda are those which aim at the civil populations (McLaurin, 1982). It is the traditional vision of propaganda. Tactical propaganda are those which are addressed to a military audience (McLaurin, 1982).




 

attention-span.net











- INTRODUCTION
- PSYCHOLOGICAL ACTION

- PROPAGANDA
- Model of Tchakhotine
- strategic Propaganda
- tactical Propaganda

- MISINFORMATION
- signs
- operations
- channels
- Objects of the misinformation

- ACTIVE MEASUREMENTS
- Assassination and intoxication
- subversion

- The PLANNING Of PSYCHOLOGICAL ACTION
- CONCLUSION
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
- APPENDIX 1

Acceuil


PROPAGANDA STRATEGIQUE


Strategic propaganda (or political war) relates to the strategies of communication and national policy having for goal to make promotion with the opposing or allied population that their interests are been useful better with the country (McLaurin, 1982). The objectives of this form of propaganda aim at influencing the individuals of the populations which adopt attitudes minus extremists (the passive ones of Tchakhotine) and of which their actions can make a difference (McLaurin, 1982). The objectives of strategic propaganda are generally long-term (to change the attitudes of the individuals). It can be combined with the misinformation when it tries to expose to the maximum its forces, to hide its weaknesses and to make believe that the interests of the country go according to the wellbeing of humanity (Lerner, 1972).

To modify the attitudes on a defensive level, the propagandist exposes the advantages of his foreign politics while hiding his disadvantages (Lerner, 1972). The transmitted messages aim at influencing the public opinion of its country either to justify the actions of the government, or to increase moral population or or to support the support of the population towards the government (Lerner, 1972). In order to acquire the virtue and thus the support of its population, it is significant to make perceive with this one that the enemies are either of thehuman ones, or incarné evil or or normal, but badly directed (Linebarger, 1972). The government can désinformer the population with the assistance of propaganda for:

1 to avoid informing the enemy or of désinformer the enemy by the means of the information given to our population,

2 not to demoralize the population in their giving bad news,

3 not to reduce the production in their giving too good news ("that is not used any more for nothing to be forced, one gains") and

4 to hide the war crimes or the actions less honourable (Durandin, 1993).

In its offensive version, this type of propaganda makes it possible to improve success of a military campaign by breaking the will to resist of a population without all to destroy in the country (Lerner, 1972). The messages aim at délégitimer the actions of their government, to lower it moral and to reduce support them population towards the antagonistic government (Lerner, 1972). The enemy population is an interesting target bus

1 it influences the elite with the capacities,

2 it is the principal engine of production,

3 it can support subversive groups with the established capacity and

4 it supports moral soldiers in permission (Lerner, 1972).

To in no case a propaganda will not be effective if the ideology of a system is tackled because it is what gives a direction to the reality of the mass (Linebarger, 1972). The more dictatorial one mode is, the more it controls the communications and the less it tolerates that of another ideology is discussed (Volkoff, 1986). It is significant that propaganda too is not far from the construction which the population had of reality (McLaurin, 1982). Moreover, to prevent that the coercive actions make bad publicity, the propagandist can affirm that the conflict is not against the population but against her leaders (Lerner, 1972). This process brings a dissociation population/élite which divides the company into more of causing doubts about their leader.

Propaganda strategic are also classified according to the degree to which them source is hidden (Volkoff, 1986; Durandin, 1993). White propaganda is that which does not hide its origin, while black propaganda hiding place its origin and lies as for the source of information. White propaganda is generally more effective in times of peace, but in times of war the opposing populations are more being wary of "propaganda" coming from other countries. In times of war black propaganda is much more probable because the population believes that the messages come from sour and friendly source (Durandin, 1993). On the other hand, Volkoff (1986) affirms that black propaganda is not without disadvantage:

1 it takes time to become effective because the propagandist must establish his credibility,

2 it risks clean désinformer its with dimensions and

3 if discovered, this type of propaganda lose any credibility.

It is significant to be made credible, in this type of propaganda, to affirm more truth than forgery (Durandin, 1993). Black propaganda is often used to propagate false information and thus approaches enormously the misinformation.















- INTRODUCTION
- PSYCHOLOGICAL ACTION

- PROPAGANDA
- Model of Tchakhotine
- strategic Propaganda
- tactical Propaganda

- MISINFORMATION
- signs
- operations
- channels
- Objects of the misinformation

- ACTIVE MEASUREMENTS
- Assassination and intoxication
- subversion

- The PLANNING Of PSYCHOLOGICAL ACTION
- CONCLUSION
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
- APPENDIX 1

Acceuil


TACTICAL PROPAGANDA


Although any military action causes psychological answers (affect of fear, drops by morals, stress, etc.) intentionally or not, it is not a question of tactical propaganda (McLaurin, 1982). Tactical propaganda or psychological warfare implies any form of communication used to make support with the engagements and to modify the report/ratio of force by its influence on the spirits (McLaurin, 1982). It supports is in:

1 informing the adversary on the procedures to be followed to go,

2 increasing the impact of the powerful weapons,

3 lowering it moral of the troops while making believe the inevitable defeat,

4 supporting the combined partisans,

5 instigating stress,

6 controlling the civil ones (do not go on the beach, there are engagements) and

7 by counter-attacking enemy propaganda by affirming that if they go, the soldiers will be well treated (McLaurin, 1982).

The objectives targeted by such a practice are short-term, they do not aim a change of attitude and, moreover, they can in certain cases being in contradiction with the political objectives (McLaurin, 1982).

This type of propaganda is addressed obligatorily to a hostile audience, therefore Katz (see McLaurin, 1982) affirms that propaganda must be veracious in order to avoid losing any credibility following false assertions. Moreover, it must be employed jointly with the use of the force because only, it is useless (Katz, to see McLaurin, 1982). Its use is limited to the victorious moments because the message does not have any credibility if the soldiers believe that they have the advantage with the combat. Katz (see MacLaurin, 1982) suggests avoiding the ridiculous one because there is no place with humour with the face. It also proposes not to tint the ideological message of savour because the ideology has little impact in a situation of survival. It also affirms that the messages trying to instigate the fear are ineffective towards soldiers because those are involved to control their fear. On the other hand, they would be very useful vis-a-vis the civil ones.