You are feed repetitive information that you are not allowed to question at the same time you are fed what you want to hear as a kind of a dog whistle and like any good psychological manipulation you will receive reward and punishment for your responses to the information provided.

You are being brainwashed if you are not entitled to use your own beliefs and knowledge that you accumulated on your own.

You do not, but if what you have been told does not jibe with reality, then you can get away from it.
I grew up in a tiny town with no TV and no radio except for what my father tuned in. My father told me that only the elite of the Baptists were going to heaven. Imagine my surprise when I got to college and found out that there was a whole world out there! I had been of the impression Baptists made up the majority of the world's population! I was brainwashed, and, with no evidence to the contrary, did not know it!

You do not question what you are told.

I don't think brainwashed people know they're being brainwashed; it's in the definition.

duuuuhhhh . . . I'm a very gullible person. advertising really works

Essentially, I guess I never do. For all I know Mormons could be right about their views on the universe and everyone on earth is trying to trick me into thinking that's stupid so I go to Mormon hell...but I try to use my ability to think critically, creatively, and analytically in hopes of effectively determining principles that work consistently when I apply them to my life. Unfortunately, it seems like any absolute knowledge on the brainwashing front seems to be too elusive for me to obtain though...

When you start placing faith (of yourself or others) above evidence.

That's easy...do you watch TV, then you're being brainwashed....

Always check the validity of the claims, see if their evidence is sound.