Editing Psychological warfare (section)

==Examples of the term==
Most modern uses of the term ''psychological warfare'' refer to the following military methods:
* [[Demoralization (warfare)|Demoralization]]:
** Distributing [[pamphlet]]s that encourage [[desertion]] or supply instructions on how to surrender.
** Shock and awe military strategy.
** Projecting repetitive and disturbing noises and music for long periods at high volume towards groups under siege like during [[Operation Nifty Package]].
* Propaganda radio stations, such as [[Lord Haw-Haw]] in World War II on the "Germany calling" station.
* [[False flag]] events.
* [[Terrorism]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal | last = Boaz | first = Gaynor | title = Terrorism as a strategy of psychological warfare | journal = [[Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma]] | volume = 9 | issue = 1–2 | pages = 33–4 | doi = 10.1300/J146v09n01_03 | date = April 2004 | s2cid = 144488159 }}{{subscription required}}</ref>
* The threat of [[Chemical weapon]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Romano Jr. | first1 = James A. | last2 = King | first2 = James M. | title = Chemical warfare and chemical terrorism: psychological and performance outcomes | journal = [[Military Psychology (journal)|Military Psychology]] | volume = 14 | issue = 2 | pages = 85–92 | doi = 10.1207/S15327876MP1402_2 | date = 2002 | s2cid = 143979791 }}{{subscription required}}</ref>
* [[Information warfare]].

Daniel Lerner divides psychological warfare operations into three categories:<ref name="Lerner-1971">{{cite book | last = Lerner | first = Daniel | title = Psychological warfare against Nazi Germany: the Sykewar Campaign, D-Day to VE-Day | publisher = [[MIT Press]] | location = Boston, Mass | year = 1971 | orig-year = 1949 | isbn = 978-0-262-12045-6 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/psychologicalwar0000lern }} Originally printed by George W. Stewart of New York. Alternative {{ISBN|0-262-62019-7}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=September 2010}}
* [[White propaganda]] (omissions and emphasis): Truthful and not strongly biased, where the source of information is acknowledged.
* [[Grey propaganda]] (omissions, emphasis and racial/ethnic/religious bias): Largely truthful, containing no information that can be proven wrong; the source is not identified.
* [[Black propaganda]] (commissions of falsification): Inherently deceitful, information given in the product is attributed to a source that was not responsible for its creation.

Lerner says grey and black operations ultimately have a heavy cost, in that the target population sooner or later recognizes them as propaganda and discredits the source. He writes, "This is one of the few dogmas advanced by Sykewarriors that is likely to endure as an axiom of propaganda: Credibility is a condition of persuasion. Before you can make a man do as you say, you must make him believe what you say."<ref name="Lerner-1971"/>{{Rp|28|date=May 2009}} Consistent with this idea, the Allied strategy in World War II was predominantly one of truth (with certain exceptions).{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}}

In ''[[Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes]]'', [[Jacques Ellul]] discusses psychological warfare as a common peace policy practice between nations as a form of indirect aggression. This type of propaganda drains the public opinion of an opposing regime by stripping away its power on public opinion. This form of aggression is hard to defend against because no international court of justice is capable of protecting against psychological aggression since it cannot be legally adjudicated. <blockquote>"Here the propagandists is [sic] dealing with a foreign adversary whose morale he seeks to destroy by psychological means so that the opponent begins to doubt the validity of his beliefs and actions."<ref>Ellul, Jacques (1973). ''Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes'', p. xiii.Trans. Konrad Kellen & Jean Lerner. Vintage Books, New York. {{ISBN|978-0-394-71874-3}}.</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o6s84xxDakkC&q=kkk+psychological+terror&pg=PA154 |title=The Psychology of Terrorism: Clinical aspects and responses – Google Books |access-date=2014-08-10|isbn=9780275978662 |last1=Stout |first1=Chris E. |year=2002 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing }}</ref></blockquote>

=== Terrorism ===
According to [[Boaz Ganor]], terrorism weakens the sense of security and disturbs daily life, damaging the target country's capability to function. Terrorism is a strategy that aims to influence public opinion into pressuring leaders to give in to the terrorists' demands, and the population becomes a tool to advance the political agenda.<ref name=":0" />