Doublethinking (Social Control Theory)

From Orwell, the capacity to hold two contradictory beliefs simultaneously and accept both as true. In social control theory, doublethinking is the cognitive state produced by systems that require people to believe obvious falsehoods (“war is peace”) while suppressing the cognitive dissonance. It is a form of control because it breaks the link between evidence and belief, making individuals unable to trust their own perceptions.

Doublethinking (Social Control Theory) Example: “She knew the company’s environmental report was false, but she had to affirm it in meetings—doublethinking, holding the truth in one part of the mind while performing the lie for survival.”

Doublethinking (Social Control Theory) by Abzugal March 27, 2026