A mechanism of integrated propaganda is the use of projection through hero worship.
Hardcore propaganda must change the very conscience of the citizen. Alienation through propaganda is key. To be alienated means to be someone other than one self. The group consensus is all. Propagandists will reinforce inclinations, free the ego of doubt, even the conflict and suffering. This fusion with others will cause attachment to a leader or group with a great cause. This makes one feel united in great things by pushing the individual into a mass authority.
What disappears in the individual when the importance of archetypes is paramount?
Simple answer: critical and personal judgement. Thought is limited because ready made explanations and stereotypes are provided for him. And just like a video game one gets to choose a character:
The propaganda from each would limit the individuals it contains. Each letting the whole dictate their thought patterns. Each individual must work within the framework provided. Criticism and imagination are not permitted or are severely curtailed. The importance of archetypes is now fully integrated.
There is no such thing as collective critical judgement. Propaganda creates an artificial passion for the individual to generate. Obviously, individual critical judgment disappears. All thoughts, values, and prejudices are related to the complex array created within the propaganda. If deprived of one propaganda, a propagandee will immediately adopt another.
If other people do it, that means it’s right. Right?
There is a heuristic most of us use to determine what to do, think, say, and buy: the principle of social proof. To learn what is correct, we look at what other people are doing. In his bestselling book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, psychologist Robert Cialdini writes, “Whether the question is what to do with an empty popcorn box in a movie theater, how fast to drive on a certain stretch of highway, or how to eat the chicken at a dinner party, the actions of those around us will be important in defining the answer.” Social proof is a shortcut to decide how to act.
Why do others influence us so much?
Clearly, others affect our behavior. One reason for this is that we live in a complex world. We use the decisions of others as a heuristic, or mental shortcut, to navigate our lives. English philosopher and mathematician Alfred North Whitehead once said, “Civilization advances by extending the number of operations we can perform without thinking about them.”
In his book Influence, Cialdini uses the example of advertisers informing us that a product is the “fastest-growing” or “best-selling.” Advertisers don’t have to persuade us that a product is good, they only need to say others think so.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/after-service/201705/the-science-behind-why-people-follow-the-crowd