A mindwipe is a fictional

memory erasure Memory erasure is the selective artificial removal of memories or associations from the mind. Memory erasure has been shown to be possible in some experimental conditions; some of the techniques currently being investigated are: drug-induced amne ...

procedure in which the subject's

memories Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembered, ...

and sometimes personality are erased. Often those are replaced by new memories more useful to those who are carrying out the mindwiping. It is a more thorough form of

brainwashing Brainwashing (also known as mind control, menticide, coercive persuasion, thought control, thought reform, and forced re-education) is the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by certain psychological techniques. Brainwash ...

. It is sometimes used as an alternative to

capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

, or to make the subject more useful to the system. The mindwipe can be performed by a

hypnotic Hypnotic (from Greek ''Hypnos'', sleep), or soporific drugs, commonly known as sleeping pills, are a class of (and umbrella term for) psychoactive drugs whose primary function is to induce sleep (or surgical anesthesiaWhen used in anesthesia ...

or magical ability, or by an

electronic device The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

. It is often coupled with stories where the characters have

amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use ...

, although the latter concept includes cases that occur naturally or by accident instead of the result of a deliberate procedure.

Examples

* The 1952 short story ''

Paycheck A paycheck, also spelled paycheque, pay check or pay cheque, is traditionally a paper document (a cheque) issued by an employer to pay an employee for services rendered. In recent times, the physical paycheck has been increasingly replaced by ...

'' by Philip K. Dick, in which an engineer, who has been working on a top-secret project after which his memory is wiped, discovers that he has not received any payments, but an assortment of random items, and that the secret police are after him. It was made into a

film in 2003 The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Highest-grossing films The top 10 films released in 2003 by worldwide gross are as follows: ''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' grossed more than $1.14 billion, mak ...

. *

Alfred Bester Alfred Bester (December 18, 1913 – September 30, 1987) was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books. He is best remembered for his science fiction, inclu ...

's 1953 novel ''

The Demolished Man ''The Demolished Man'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Alfred Bester, which was the first Hugo Award winner in 1953. An inverted detective story, it was first serialized in three parts, beginning with the January 1952 issue of '' G ...

''; in which the technique is labeled "Demolition". * The 1966 short story "

We Can Remember It for You Wholesale "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" is a science fiction novelette by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published in ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' in April 1966. It features a melding of reality, false memory, and real m ...

" by Philip K. Dick in which a businessman undergoes a procedure where he receives memories of a vacation on

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

, only to discover that the procedure has backfired, and that his mind had already been wiped. It was the basis for the 1990 film '' Total Recall''. * The plot of Ralph Blum's 1970 novel '' The Simultaneous Man'' revolves around mind erasure and

personality transfer Personality is the characteristic sets of behaviors, cognitions, and emotional patterns that are formed from biological and environmental factors, and which change over time. While there is no generally agreed-upon definition of personality, mos ...

* The TV series ''

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...

'' features amnesia injections. *

Robert Silverberg Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is an American author and editor, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a Grand ...

's 1972 novel ''

The Second Trip ''The Second Trip'' is a 1972 science fiction novel by American writer Robert Silverberg. Prior to its publication by Doubleday, it was published in serialized form in ''Amazing Stories'' from July to September 1971. Plot introduction The nov ...

'' about a criminal whose new personality struggles to suppress his original criminal personality which was revived by telepathic contact with a friend of the old personality. * In the TV series ''

Blake's 7 ''Blake's 7'' (sometimes styled ''Blakes7'') is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Four 13-episode series were broadcast on BBC1 between 1978 and 1981. It was created by Terry Nation, who also wrote the first ...

'', Blake had been mindwiped prior to the events in the series, but begins to recall things. * The 1980 novel '' The Bourne Identity'' by

Robert Ludlum Robert Ludlum (May 25, 1927 – March 12, 2001) was an American author of 27 thriller novels, best known as the creator of Jason Bourne from the original '' The Bourne Trilogy'' series. The number of copies of his books in print is estimated b ...

Jason Bourne Jason Bourne () is the title character and the protagonist in a series of novels and subsequent film adaptations. The character was created by novelist Robert Ludlum. He first appeared in the novel '' The Bourne Identity'' (1980), which was a ...

is an amnesiac who discovers that he has had his memories wiped, but not his skills and instincts, of being an expert assassin. This has been adapted into a book and

movie series A film series or movie series (also referred to as a film franchise or movie franchise) is a collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe, or are marketed as a series. This article explains what film series are ...

. * The ''

Men in Black In popular culture and UFO conspiracy theories, men in black (MIB) are purported men dressed in black suits who claim to be quasi-government agents, who harass, threaten, or sometimes even assassinate unidentified flying object (UFO) witnesses t ...

'' comic book series and film franchise, which features a device called the

neuralyzer ''Men in Black'' is a semi-comic science fiction media franchise that originated with the Malibu/Marvel comic book of the same name created by American author Lowell Cunningham. The franchise focuses on the fictional and namesake non-government ...

, which performs the mind wipe with a

camera flash A flash is a device used in photography that produces a brief burst of light (typically lasting 1/1000 to 1/200 of a second) at a color temperature of about 5500 K to help illuminate a scene. A major purpose of a flash is to illuminate a ...

. The agent then makes a hypnotic

suggestion Suggestion is the psychological process by which a person guides their own or another person's desired thoughts, feelings, and behaviors by presenting stimuli that may elicit them as reflexes instead of relying on conscious effort. Nineteenth-ce ...

to fill in what happened. * In the TV series ''

Babylon 5 ''Babylon 5'' is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Tel ...

'', the

Psi-Corps The list of ''Babylon 5'' characters contains characters from the entire ''Babylon 5'' universe. The Babylon station was conceived as a political and cultural meeting place. As such, one of the show's many themes is the cultural and social intera ...

is an organization whose members have telepathic abilities; they are able to assist doctors in a procedure that erases memories and traits in criminals, called "Death Of Personality" as a punishment. * '' Dark City'' revolves around an elaborate experiment on abducted humans by extraterrestrials in which their memories are constantly being erased and replaced. *

Eoin Colfer Eoin Colfer (; born 14 May 1965) is an Irish author of children's books. He worked as a primary school teacher before he became a full-time writer. He is best known for being the author of the Artemis Fowl (series), ''Artemis Fowl'' series. I ...

's ''

Artemis Fowl ''The Fowl Adventures'' is a series of eleven fantasy novels written by Irish people, Irish author Eoin Colfer revolving around various members of the Fowl family. The first cycle, ''Artemis Fowl'', follows Elf (Artemis Fowl), elf LEP Reconna ...

'' novel series, where it is one of the technologies/abilities available. * In the cartoon series ''

Totally Spies! ''Totally Spies!'' is an animated spy-fi series created by Vincent Chalvon-Demersay and David Michel mainly produced by French animation company Marathon Media and French broadcaster TF1, with seasons 3 to 5 being co-produced with Canadian comp ...

'', various characters get their memory wiped. This also occurs in its spin-off series ''

The Amazing Spiez ''The Amazing Spiez!'' () is an animated television series created and developed by David Michel and Vincent Chalvon-Demersay. It was co-produced by Marathon Media, Image Entertainment Corporation, and Canal J. The series is a spin-off of ''Tota ...

'' * The 2004 comic book series ''

Identity Crisis In psychology, identity crisis is a stage theory of identity development where it involves resolution of a conflict over the 8 stages of the lifespan.(Schultz, 216) The term was coined by German psychologist Erik Erikson. The stage of psychosoci ...

'', where Zatanna mindwipes Doctor Light's memories of having sexually assaulted

Ralph Dibny Elongated Man (Randolph "Ralph" Dibny) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''The Flash'' #112 (February 25, 1960). The character made his live-action debut in the fourth season of The ...

's wife Sue. * The 2004 film

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ''Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' (also simply known as ''Eternal Sunshine'') is a 2004 American romantic science fiction drama film written by Charlie Kaufman, directed by Michel Gondry, and starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. P ...

has the main characters pay to have their memories of their relationship erased, so they can meet again to restart their relationship afresh. * In the 2008 ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' finale ''

Journey's End ''Journey's End'' is a 1928 dramatic play by English playwright R. C. Sherriff, set in the trenches near Saint-Quentin, Aisne, towards the end of the First World War. The story plays out in the officers' dugout of a British Army infantry comp ...

'',

Donna Noble Donna Noble (later Donna Temple-Noble) is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Portrayed by British actress and comedian Catherine Tate, she is a former companion of the Tenth Docto ...

becomes a Time Lord Meta-Crisis, but it takes a toll on her mind, so in order to save her life, the Doctor had to erase her memories of his travels with her. * The 2009 TV series ''

Dollhouse A dollhouse or doll's house is a toy home made in miniature. Since the early 20th century dollhouses have primarily been the domain of children, but their collection and crafting is also a hobby for many adults. English-speakers in North America ...

'' is about a corporation where certain employees called Actives (or Dolls) are mind-wiped and implanted with custom personalities and abilities to service their clients. * The 2009 anime series ''

Eden of the East is a Japanese anime television series, which was broadcast on Fuji TV's noitaminA timeslot from April to June 2009. Created, directed and written by Kenji Kamiyama, it features character designs by Chica Umino and animation production ...

'', in which the main character discovers that he has had his memory erased and that he is involved in a high-stakes competition. * The 2013 video game '' Remember Me'', in which the protagonist gets her memories wiped by the

megacorporation Megacorporation, mega-corporation, or megacorp, a term originally coined by Alfred Eichner in his book ''The Megacorp and Oligopoly: Micro Foundations of Macro Dynamics'' but popularized by William Gibson, derives from the combination of the prefi ...

Memorize. The game also allows the player to manipulate a person's memories using a technique called "remixing". * In Rayark Inc.'s ''

Cytus II ''Cytus'' is a collection of rhythm games developed by Taiwanese game developer Rayark. The original ''Cytus'' rhythm game was first released on the iOS platform on 12 January 2012. The game was later released on Android on 7 August 2012. A p ...

'', Ivy/Aesir erases their fan's memories after performing at their own festival. * The 2015 video game ''

Fallout 4 ''Fallout 4'' is a 2015 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fourth main game in the Fallout (series), ''Fallout'' series and was released worldwide on November 10, 2015, for P ...

'', in which some escaped synths have their memories wiped by the Railroad. * In the 2022 TV series ''

Severance Severance may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Severance'' (film), a 2006 British horror film * ''Severance'' (novel), a 2018 novel by Ling Ma *''Severance'', a 2006 short-story collection by Robert Olen Butler * ''Severance'' (TV series), a ...

'', a medical procedure is applied to employees to separate non-work memories from work memories.

Examples

See also

References

Further reading