Psychological operations: understanding influence without the hype
Psychological operations—PSYOPs—are often painted as shadowy mind-control tools wielded by a secret cabal. Reality is less cinematic but far more interesting. PSYOPs are deliberate efforts to influence the beliefs, emotions, or behaviours of target audiences. They are planned, measurable, and bureaucratically codified—but that doesn’t make them benign, nor do they naturally uphold transparency or democratic norms. The US Department of Defense defines PSYOPs as operations “to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately their behavior”. This definition is precise but neutral: it says what the practice is, not whether it is ethical. The challenge is recognising influence in action without falling into conspiracy or mystique. ...