Giving those adamant that brain washing has to be the only answer, I am looking further into the subject. I admit that I am not a specialist in the area, and that my understanding of what evidence is required that proves brainwashing (and how this can be demonstrated, established, and verified) is outside of my realm of experience.
But I am also sure most who have a strong opinion on the matter in favor of brainwashing may be in the same situation as well, as we have to humbly admit that the issue of brainwashing in connection with religious movements like the Jehovah’s Witnesses has not been established as a scientific certainty.
I can update my previous comments, however, by adding that there is evidence that it may not be so much the organization of the Jehovah’s Witnesses alone that causes the problem but the likelihood that a form of borderline personality disorder—more specifically the type that centers around the need for compartmentalizing the facets of life into “truth” and “falsehood,” “good” and “evil,” or to be more exact, that which manifests itself in idealization and devaluation—may possibly be a far more common denominator among adherents of that religion than previously realized.
As some on here have pointed out, a person who is being manipulated via brainwashing techniques is unlikely to make claim to that fact. The same can be said about borderline personality disorder. Most suffering from a disordered view that allows them to accept the act of idealizing some things while demonizing others as a healthy state of mind is also not likely to realize that such a facet of their personality is actually a symptom of a mental health problem that requires treatment.
While I cannot say that all persons who enter the religion of the JWs have this problem, a large number seem to find no problem with seeing things in a black and white state. This means of compartmentalizing is supported by the religion of the Watchtower which teaches that the world can only be made up of two essential parts, namely that which is in union with God and that which is in union with Satan.
Since no two decades of the Witness religion has ever offered the same earmarks of doctrinal beliefs, it cannot be stated that people are attracted to the religion on the sole basis of its creed (which has never been out of the state of flux). In fact, even dramatic changes and reversals of doctrine do not faze the majority of believers, and this repeatedly seen altering of credo does not fit into the average brainwashing scenarios. The approach to teaching and leading adherents changes as dramatically, and no two “eras” of doctrinal upheaval (usually seen with the changing of members on the Governing Body) ever use the same profile of techniques previously employed.
Something beyond doctrine and technique must also be involved. While the Watchtower is not, I repeat, not above suspect of employing brainwashing techniques, with the constant change of variables that religion faces and endures, something more must also be at the core of the religion’s appeal.
Again, there does seem to be the same trait in adherents that suggests approval of disordered compartmentalizing as a nominal state of human affairs. Upon leaving or being expelled from the organization, some members seem to keep this trait. They will continue to trust that their newly adopted position is now the correct or true one and that anything in opposition to their view or opinion is false or impossible. Some take up a different religion, a contrasting philosophy, and even atheism with the exact same vigor and need to convince others of the rightfulness or enlightened position of their ways, again oblivious to the fact that they have never moved beyond compartmentalizing beyond idealizing that which they embrace and demonizing all that does not adhere to their “new” view.
Normally an individual who makes the mistake of joining a group or following an individual that did not turn out to fulfill all that the adherent made public claim to would be quite cautious to avoid doing the same thing again. In fact, under normal circumstances most never return to making such claims again in any form similar to their mistake.
For the person who is suffering with a disordered sense of compartmentalization, they never stop being “in the right” or “more enlightened” than others. They may even continue to “evangelize” their cause or new belief system, even if it is atheism or an agnostic one. Again this is possible because the disorder is not concerned on the identification of enabling factors or support system. As long as the system or creed they now embrace continues to serve the purpose of hiding the disorder from exposure to the one suffering from it, the person can easily advertise adoption of one group or set of beliefs and the next day do the same with a group or creed of conflicting standards.
I repeat that I don’t hold to the belief that this is universal and that all Watchtower adherents suffer from this type of borderline personality disorder any more than I believe that the only answer for any of us possibly “falling for the lies” of the JWs has to include brainwashing. But a symptom of the condition does include excusing oneself of the responsibility for siding with a certain enabling agent, demonizing them, and idealizing their current position while excusing or even allowing themselves to be blinded by the latest enabler. In other words, I am only advising caution in this matter and not being too quick to throw all one’s eggs in the basket marked “brainwashing.”