psy-ops, PSYOPS (Psychological Operations)
plural noun

- military activities that involve trying to influence the enemy's beliefs and state of mind

- tactics intended to manipulate one's opponents or enemies, such as the dissemination of propaganda or the use of psychological warfare

- military operations usually aimed at influencing the enemy's state of mind through noncombative means (such as distribution of leaflets)

The Cambridge Dictionary / Oxford Languages / Merriam-Webster /

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WORD ORIGIN

The word “psychology” dates from the 1650s and means "the study of the soul". It was coined in the mid-16th century in Germany from the Latinized form of Greek psykhē meaning “breath, spirit, soul" + logia "study of”.

The meaning "science or study of the phenomena of the mind" is attested by 1748, in reference to Christian Wolff's "Psychologia empirica" (1732).

The modern behavioural sciences sense is from the early 1890s.

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WANDERING SOULS

The "Wandering Soul" psy-ops campaign was one of the psychological warfare strategies used by the United States during the Vietnam War.

The operation was premised on a Vietnamese cultural belief about the "wandering souls" or "hungry ghosts". According to Vietnamese folk religion, those who die violently or far away from home become restless spirits, wandering eternally. It's considered a bad omen for the family and they often do their best to return these wandering souls to their ancestral homes for a peaceful afterlife.

In Operation Wandering Soul, the American forces created eerie audio recordings that supposedly represented the voices of these wandering souls. The aim was to exploit the Vietnamese belief in these spirits and thus to lower morale among enemy forces. The eerie, ghostly audio was played from helicopters, loudspeakers, or even small handheld devices, especially at night to maximize the effect.

The campaign was part of a broader strategy of psychological warfare, or PSY-OPS, that was designed to demoralize, frighten, or confuse enemy combatants and civilian populations. However, the effectiveness of the "Wandering Soul" campaign is hotly debated and difficult to quantify.

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SYNONYMS

- for psychological manipulation

biasing, blending, brain-buffing, conditioning, converting, convincing, deceiving, distorting, doctoring, dominating, duping, ensnaring, entrapping, framing, grooming, hoodwinking, hypnotizing, indoctrinating, influencing, manipulating, misleading, priming, programming, reconditioning, rewiring, selling a bill of goods, shaping, snaring, steering, sucking in, warping, washing the grey matter

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

"In the world of advertising, every catchy jingle is just PSY-OPS in disguise."

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