Subjunctive Reasoning

There exists quite a variety of statements which are in some sense 'subjunctive'. The best known of these are the so-called 'counterfactual conditionals' which state that if something which is not the case had been the case, then something else would have been true.

Ever since American prisoners of war in Korea suddenly switched sides to the Communist cause, the concept of brainwashing has continued to fascinate and confuse.
Is it really possible to force any thinking person to act in a way completely alien to his character? What makes so-called brainwashing so different from the equally insidious effects of indoctrination and conditioning, or even advertising and education?