Review of Propaganda

Abstract

Reviews the book, Propaganda, its psychology and technique by Leonard W. Doob (1935). The book is a dispassionate treatment of propaganda and takes the point of view that it is not to be condemned until it is understood. The author states various principles and illustrates them rather than presenting dramatic cases merely to startle the reader. An introductory section is devoted to psychological principles bearing on propaganda, such as attitudes, motivation, and suggestion. An annotated survey of definitions of propaganda leads up to the author's own: "A systematic attempt by an interested individual to control the attitudes of groups of individuals through the use of suggestion and consequently, to control their actions." He points out that propaganda may be unintentional as well as intentional and decries the efforts of some writers to make it out a social monster. He criticizes them for discussing merely the efforts of the propagandist and omitting the psychological effect upon the reader. He also minimizes the frequent distinction between education and propaganda, and considers the former merely a special case of the latter dealing with the data or the approach of science. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)