Conversion is

Everyday conversion | The moral dilemma | See also

Conversion is the changing of beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviors, and is more common than we often suppose. This includes changing of habits, such as smoking or drinking, conversion of individual to religions and political parties, as well as the shadier aspects of brainwashing and conversion to authoritarian and destructive cults.

Everyday conversion

Many of the techniques are also used in more mundane situations, from parents socialising children to joining groups of friends to creating loyalty within companies. The purpose in all of these is similar, so it is unsurprising that many of the methods are similar, at least in principle if not in the detail of implementation.

The moral dilemma

Conversion is a morally difficult subject and, even when the person doing the converting really does have the best interests of their target person in mind, it may be questioned whether they should be doing this. A therapist, may recommend, to an anxious and suggestible client, treatment that will convert their thinking, based on the therapists views of what is good and right.