The Psychology of Conspiracy Theorists

Conspiracy theorists. You know type, anytime there is any sort of significant event there are people who question the official story of what really happened. They are very suspicious of “mainstream media”, the “government”, and “Big Pharma” and come to the conclusion that something is being hidden from the public that the authorities don’t want anyone to know. Even when faced with significant evidence in support of the official report they still believe that there is some sort of cover up.


What makes these people so hesitant to accept the word of authority figures? Why do they continue to believe in conspiracies despite clear evidence to the contrary? Let’s take a look at what is known so far.


Some of the psychological traits that are common amongst conspiracy theorist are strong individualistic beliefs and a general feeling of helplessness. Combing the individualistic view that people should be able to make their own decisions without some sort of authority and a feeling that you are not in control of your life, leads to what psychologist Tim Melley calls “agency panic”. Agency panic is essentially feeling anxious due to a perceived loss of autonomy caused by some outside force. This can lead to a general suspicion of authority or powerful organizations.


Evidence that is congruent with these ideas comes from research done by Jean Twenge. She looked into personality test and how certain traits have changed over the past few decades. In particular, she notes that anxiety and individualism have increased significantly. In addition she found that people tend to hold an external locus of control meaning that they believe that outside forces determine what happens to you instead of the individual determining what happens to them. The switch from an internal locus of control to external could be due to an increased exposure to “uncontrollable” events such as natural disasters and terrorism. All of these traits provide the foundation for conspiracy thinking.


What is somewhat worrisome is the fact that these increases in conspiracy related think isn’t showing any sign of stopping. Furthermore, due to increased globalization of American culture, this type of thinking is spreading to other countries.


So now that we have a basic understanding of foundations of conspiracy thinkers, it’s time to look at what is so appealing about believing in conspiracy theories. One of the widely accepted reasons is that conspiracies help make sense of distressing and seemingly random events.


One of the characteristic aspects of conspiracy theories is the idea that the conspiracy theorists’ posses secret knowledge of what really happened. This supposed secret knowledge gives those who believe a feeling of great intelligence and power over non-believers. They can then use this knowledge to bring down the alleged perpetrator/s of the conspiracy which elevates them above the masses, sometimes condescendingly referred to as sheep or sheeple.


Another aspect that applies to conspiracy theorists and their ideas is that they are generally immune from contrary evidence. It is well known that people who believe in one conspiracy are more inclined to accept another conspiracy theory. Research has also shown that conspiracy theorists are likely to believe contradictory theories of how a particular event occurred.

For example, a study looked at how likely a group of student agreed with 5 conspiracies relating to Princess Diana’s death. The students who endorsed the idea that Princess Diana was murdered were also more like to endorse the idea that she is still alive despite the two ideas being diametrically opposed. This is explained by the fact the conspiracy theorists hold very closely the idea that authorities, such as governments and corporations, are hiding something for malevolent reasons which helps them support any individual conspiracy theory.


Research done by Viren Swami adds evidence to this idea that convictions about secret plots are used as confirming evidence for other conspiracy theories. Swami also found that conspiracy theorists tend to form a community of believers. This community usually seeks to spread the “truth” to the masses in an attempt to foster social change.


Despite their prevalence in popular culture, there is not all that much research into this particular aspect of human nature. Much more research still needs to be done.


I know this is really long but it’s a subject I’m interested in and thought might be of some interest to people here.

More Info:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...09/paranoia-and-the-roots-conspiracy-theories
http://www.livescience.com/18171-contradicting-conspiracy-theories-mistrust.html
http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2009/05/26/the-inner-worlds-of-conspiracy-believers

 

Should I really? The whole point of the post was to give a little insight into why people like you believe the things you do. Despite what conspiracy theorist insist, there is no inherent reason to not believe the "official" story.

I would also hesitate to call you skeptical. I think you and other conspiracy theorist have only half of the skeptical thinking equation. It is certainly ok to question certain events which is part one. But that alone leaves out the most important part of skeptical thinking which is well THINKING. Once you have decided to question something you should then impartially, that is without assuming it's bullshit, examine the evidence and then make a decision.

*Conspiracist. No I do not consider myself a conspirator. Since Jihad is an idea and not a person or group of people then no I don't. If you mean do I think 9/11 was an inside job then the answer is still NO.

Yeah I've noticed. It seems to be getting worse especially with as it relates to "big pharma" which is why I plan another thread trying to debunk ideas relating to "big pharma" particularly their supposed subversion of a cure for 'cancer'.

 

I was a little surprised by how quickly they reacted but their refusal to accept what I posted as anything worth listening wasn't the least bit surprising. As I point out conspiracy theorist aren't exactly known for being open to evidence against their beliefs.

I think their inability to accept new information is due to two main factors: a very strong conformation bias and what is termed "selective skepticism". The two of course are inextricably linked. They are selectively skeptical of "official" reports while accepting "evidence" supporting their beliefs without question.

You can't say I'm not open minded simply because I don't agree with your beliefs. I don't simply dismiss all conspiracy theories on their face. I do look at the evidence which always leads away from some grand conspiracy. Sorry to inform you but conspiracy theorist are virtually never right. 9/11 is no exception.