The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories

By Karen M. Douglas, Robbie M. Sutton, A. Cichocka. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2017

1,087 citations recorded by the source corpus.

What psychological factors drive the popularity of conspiracy theories, which explain important events as secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups? What are the psychological consequences of adopting these theories? We review the current research and find that it answers the first of these questions more thoroughly than the second. Belief in conspiracy theories appears to be driven by motives that can be characterized as epistemic (understanding one’s environment), existential (being safe and in control of one’s environment), and social (maintaining a positive image of the self and the social group). However, little research has investigated the consequences of conspiracy belief, and to date, this research does not indicate that conspiracy belief fulfills people’s motivations. Instead, for many people, conspiracy belief may be more appealing than satisfying. Further research is needed to determine for whom, and under what conditions, conspiracy theories may satisfy key psychological motives.

Subfields: Cognitive Neuroscience, Literature and Literary Theory, Sociology and Political Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/4e1797aa41ad9d61c0178fb3d6c16131e661369a

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Citations in the corpus

Attitudes Towards Science (2018, background): “It is important to note that not all conspiracy theories are antiscience, just as not all are false (Douglas et al., 2017).”
COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs: Relations with anxiety, quality of life, and schemas (2021, positive): “Conspiracy theories often develop when individuals are experiencing an existential threat (Van Prooijen, 2020; Van Prooijen & Douglas, 2017) and in situations characterized by increased uncertainty, anxiety, and perceived lack of control (Bruder et al., 2013; GrzesiakFeldman, 2013; Van Prooijen &…”
Durably reducing conspiracy beliefs through dialogues with AI (2024, positive): “Popular explanations propose that people adopt conspiracy theories to sate underlying psychic “ needs ” or motivations, such as thedesirefor control over one ’ s environment and experiences ( 15 ), certainty and predictability ( 20 ), security and stability ( 21 ), and uniqueness ( 22 ).”
Conspiracy Beliefs and Violent Extremist Intentions: The Contingent Effects of Self-efficacy, Self-control and Law-related Morality (2020, background): “Some of these factors constitute epistemic needs, which induce individuals to adopt conspiracy beliefs in order to achieve a clear-structured understanding of the world.(33) Low levels of trust,(34) perceived powerlessness,(35) feelings of anomia and an associated lack of control(36) and feelings of”
A Bioweapon or a Hoax? The Link Between Distinct Conspiracy Beliefs About the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak and Pandemic Behavior (2020, background): “When people are not able to gain control in the real world, they compensate for this lack by perceiving patterns—even if they are an illusion (e.g., Douglas et al., 2017).”
Uncertain Self in a Changing World: A Foundation for Radicalisation, Populism, and Autocratic Leadership (2020, background): “Populist ideologies almost always subscribe to and promote conspiracy theories (Douglas & Sutton, 2018; Douglas et al., 2017) that identify outgroup actions that victimise the ingroup.”
Anxious attachment and belief in conspiracy theories (2018, background): “T these needs are unfulfilled (Douglas et al., 2017).”
Resolving the Puzzle of Conspiracy Worldview and Political Activism: Belief in Secret Plots Decreases Normative but Increases Nonnormative Political Engagement (2021, background): “Scholars have gathered converging evidence for some associations with such a tendency to see secret plots behind the scenes (Douglas et al., 2017).”
Understanding Conspiracy Theories (2019, background): “According to Douglas, Sutton, and Cichocka (2017), people appear to be drawn to conspiracy theories when—compared to nonconspiracy explanations—they promise to satisfy important social psychological motives that can be characterized as epistemic (e.g., the desire for understanding, accuracy, and…”
Why conspiracy theories matter: A social psychological analysis (2018, background): “That said, many of the demographic variables that have been linked to beliefs in conspiracy theories (e.g., education, socio-economic status; see Douglas et al., 2017 for a review) would imply that representative general population samples are in many cases also not ideal.”