Thread:Mesektet/@comment-27729149-20141222061022/@comment-3581997-20141222075134

Psychological torture can cover a variety of techniques, anything from inducing Stockholm syndrome, to breaking down someone's identity. If you have ever seen Clockwork Orange, that is a good example.

You've seen Captain America: Winter Soldier, well Bucky was psychologically tortured, he was tormented mentally until HYDRA made him associate his previous life with pain, which he naturally came to block out in order to cope with it. Ulfric Stormcloak, of Skyrim, was tortured physically but his faith was used as the justification for his torture, which induced trauma and made him believe his very way of life was the cause, thus inducing a sever persecution complex and constituting mental torture as well.

It often overlaps with Brainwashing, though not always, since some brainwashing is about appealing to the Ego, when the brainwashing techniques are specifically set up to cause someone mental trauma until they break it is psychological torture. For example, the Movemntarians from The Simpsons aren't psychological torturers, they use trickery and play off of low self-esteem, but Mr. Burns strapping Santa's Little Helper into a chair and making him watch the atrocities of man until he is a vicious attack dog IS psychological torture.