Decomposition of personalities (Stasi term "Zersetzung")
According to Directive 1/76, measures of decomposition of personalities (Stasi term "Zersetzung") directed against individual persons were, for example, the "systematic discrediting of public reputation, reputation and prestige on the basis of interconnected true, verifiable discrediting as well as untrue, credible, irrefutable and thus also discrediting information" or the "systematic organization of professional and social failures to undermine self-confidence".
Forms:
- systematic discrediting of the public reputation
- systematic organization of professional and social failures
- purposeful undermining of beliefs related to certain ideals etc. and creating doubts about personal perspective
- generation of distrust and mutual suspicion within groups
- creating, exploiting and reinforcing rivalries within groups
- groups dealing with their internal problems
- local and temporal disruption of the mutual relationships of the members of a group
Means and methods:
- Use of IM (unofficial collaborators)
- anonymous letters, telegrams, phone calls
- compromising photos
- rumours
- indiscretions or feigning a deconspiration of MfS defensive measures
- subpoenas
Each remedy should be "used creatively and differentiated, expanded and further developed".
Source: https://www.stasi-unterlagen-archiv.de/mfs-lexikon/detail/zersetzung/