Show Menu
Cheatography
  1. Home >
  2. Education >

Psychology Theories in MKULTRA Cheat Sheet (DRAFT) by

Psychology Theories in MKULTRA

This is a draft cheat sheet. It is a work in progress and is not finished yet.

Behavi­ourism

Core Idea:
Human behaviour is learned and can be reshaped via condit­ioning
Key Figures:
John B Watson - classical behavi­ourism (envir­onment shapes behaviour)
 
B F Skinner - operant condit­ioning (reinf­orc­ement and punish­ment)
 
Ivan Pavlov - classical condit­ioning (stimu­lus­-re­sponse learning)
MKULTRA Applic­ation:
Attempted to “retrain” behaviour by pairing compliance with rewards or relief from discom­fort.
 
Used pain, depriv­ation, or disori­ent­ation as punish­ment; calm periods or privileges as reinfo­rce­ment.
 
Sought to create condit­ioned triggers for specific behaviours (e.g., an object or phrase as a compliance cue).
Limita­tions:
Behaviour change under coercion was unstable; subjects often developed resistance or trauma rather than permanent compli­ance.

Psycho­ana­lysis & Trauma Theory

Core Idea:
The uncons­cious mind influences behaviour; trauma can alter person­ality and make indivi­duals more sugges­tible
Key Figures:
Sigmund Freud – uncons­cious drives, repression
 
Anna Freud & ego psychology – ego weakening through stress
 
Pierre Janet – trauma and dissoc­iation
MKULTRA Applic­ation:
The “depat­ter­ning” process (Ewen Cameron) — breaking down ego structures via drugs, ECT, and isolation.
 
Followed by “psychic driving” — repeated messages to implant new belief­s/b­eha­viours.
 
Explored whether trauma­-in­duced sugges­tib­ility could be exploited for interr­ogation or progra­mming.
Limita­tions:
Trauma often caused unpred­ictable psycho­logical damage rather than controlled sugges­tib­ility.

Hypnosis Theory

Core Idea:
Altered states of consci­ousness can increase sugges­tib­ility and respon­siv­eness to instru­ctions
Key Resear­chers:
Clark Hull, Milton Erickson
MKULTRA Applic­ation:
Combining hypnosis with drugs to lower defences.
 
Testing if commands could be implanted and later triggered (“hypnotic courier” concept).
 
Using post-h­ypnotic suggestion to influence behaviour or recall.
Limita­tions:
Effect­iveness varied greatly between indivi­duals; hypnosis couldn’t force actions strongly opposed to a person’s core morals in most cases.
 

Social Psychology

Core Idea:
Human behaviour is shaped by group dynamics, authority, and social roles.
Key Figures & Studies:
Solomon Asch – conformity experi­ments
 
Stanley Milgram – obedience to authority
 
Kurt Lewin – group influence and change
MKULTRA Applic­ation:
Struct­uring interr­ogation enviro­nments where the experi­men­ter’s authority was absolute.
 
Using isolation to remove competing social influe­nces.
 
Leveraging peer pressure among subjects in group experi­ments.
Limita­tions:
Compliance under lab or captivity conditions didn’t always transfer to real-world loyalty or obedience.

Cognitive Psychology

Core Idea:
Mental processes such as memory, percep­tion, and proble­m-s­olving can be studied and altered
Emerging Figures (1950s­–60s):
George Miller (memory capacity)
 
Ulric Neisser (cognitive psychology founder)
MKULTRA Applic­ation:
Memory erasure: testing drugs and techniques to remove or block specific memories.
 
False memory implan­tation via hypnosis and sugges­tion.
 
Sensory distortion to disrupt perception of time, space, and reality.
Limita­tions:
Memory suppre­ssion unreli­able; false memories possible but unpred­ictable in content and retention.
 

Sensory Processing & Perceptual Psychology

Core Idea:
The brain relies on consistent sensory input; altering sensory flow can disrupt mental stability
Key Figures:
Donald Hebb (sensory depriv­ation research, McGill Univer­sity)
MKULTRA Applic­ation:
Sensory depriv­ation tanks to induce halluc­ina­tions and breakdown.
 
Sensory overload (bright lights, loud sounds) to fatigue attention and disrupt thinking.
 
Studying how perception collapse increased sugges­tib­ility.
Limita­tions:
Severe perceptual disruption often caused psychosis or long-term anxiety rather than targeted compli­ance.

Learning Theory & Habitu­ation

Core Idea:
Repetition shapes learning; new habits can replace old ones under controlled conditions
MKULTRA Applic­ation:
“Psychic driving” used repetitive audio loops to instil new beliefs.
 
Attempted to overwrite learned behaviours with new condit­ioning.
Limita­tions:
Often led to confusion and distress; retention of implanted beliefs was incons­istent.

Psycho­pha­rma­cology

Core Idea:
Mental states and behaviours can be altered chemically by affecting neurot­ran­smitter systems
Key Substances Used:
LSD-25, mescaline, scopol­amine, amphet­amines, barbit­urates
MKULTRA Applic­ation:
Testing how altered neuroc­hem­istry affected percep­tion, judgement, and suscep­tib­ility.
 
Seeking optimal drug combin­ations for “truth serum” effects.
Limita­tions:
Effects were unpred­ict­able; same dose could cause compliance in one subject and panic or aggression in another.