1. IntroductionThe 1970s brought an unexpected rise of new religion movements and most of them had links to Eastern origins. These religions operating on the fringes of traditional religious institutions immediately sparked controversy. This controversy, combined with the interest shown in them by educated young people in particular, as well as their subsequent conversion to these new alternative religious movements, raised serious concerns among the pillars of traditional value systems and the term brainwashing became the acceptable theory to explain the reasoning behind those who defected to these movements. In this essay, the phenomenon of brainwashing will be discussed and its legitimacy as a valid theory to use as a reason behind conversion to new religious movements critically evaluated. The "Brainwashing" Hypothesis Those who subscribe to the brainwashing theory believe that the person who is a member of a new religious movement finds himself in such a situation because specialized brainwashing techniques which were used by the leaders of these groups in order to address the deficiency in the cognitive abilities of the individual leading to a reduction in personal autonomy which then leads to dependence on the group. In doing so, it is believed that the person is stripped of their former identity and therefore the function of independent judgment is no longer possible. It is therefore believed that the person underwent, through this process of indoctrination, a metamorphosis which caused him or her to become a "robot"-like being who was effectively stripped of the capacity for independent functioning and the power of reasoning criticism, thus leaving its...... middle of paper ......ionary. New York: Penguin Group. Anthony, D & Robbins, T. 2004. The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements. New York. Oxford University Press. Accessed February 25, 2014 on the World Wide Web: http://www.skepsis.nl/onlinetexts.htmlBlackburn, S. 2008. Dictionary of Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bromley, D. 2001. A tale of two theories: brainwashing and conversion as competing political narratives. Accessed February 20, 2014 from the World Wide Web: http://people.vcu.edu/~dbromley/ATaleofTwoTheories.htmMelton, J.1999. Brainwashing and cults: the rise and fall of a theory. Accessed February 25, 2014 from the World Wide Web: http://www.cesnur.org/testi/melton.htmRichardson, J. 1993. Handbook of Cults and Sects in America. Greenwich: JAI Press. Accessed February 25, 2014 on the World Wide Web: http://www.cesnur.org/testi/Socpsy.htm