Focused Read in 3 minutes
"The dark allure of
conspiracy theories, explained by a psychologist
Believing in them is a
coping mechanism to deal with an uncertain world.
Updated by Brian Resnick
Donald
Trump touts conspiracy theories more than most presidents in recent
history, or perhaps any president ever. Trump has claimed
that President Obama wiretapped his phone during the
presidential campaign (a charge the FBI denied) and that several
million people voted illegally in the election (also: no evidence).
In the past, he’s said that climate change is a hoax perpetrated by
the Chinese (it’s not).
But
he’s certainly not alone in jumping to conspiracies to explain
world events. Often conspiracy theories can be powerful and damaging.
Consider the
agony of the family of Seth Rich, the Democratic Nationally
Committee staffer who was murdered in an apparent robbery attempt
over the summer. Despite zero evidence, conspiracy theorists and
prominent conservative pundits have been fanning the suspicion that
Rich was murdered by the Clinton campaign. “Seth’s death has been
turned into a political football,” Rich’s parents wrote at the
Washington Post. “Every day we wake up to new headlines, new lies,
new factual errors, new people approaching us to take advantage of us
and Seth’s legacy.” ...
The
pain inflicted by conspiracy theories can be immense: To this day,
parents of slain Sandy Hook children are charged with making up the
whole thing (including the lives of their children), for example.
But
why would people believe that these parents (who have suffered
incredible loss) are lying? For that matter, why are the people who
broadcast these theories — like Alex Jones— so appealing?
To
find out, I called up Jan-Willem van Prooijen, a social and
organizational psychologist at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam who
studies why people believe in conspiracy theories, and what
personality and situational factors contribute to those beliefs. ... "
You can read more here
Courtesy of VOX
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