The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories

Psychology of Conspiracy Theories

In a review article published in 2017 in Current Directions in Psychological Science, the authors take an account of available studies that looked into what makes conspiracy theories appealing. They conclude that “[b]elief 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).

I’d like to highlight a few of the findings they report because I think they’re of special importance for us as Muslims to take note of. More pertinently, for those who consider themselves to be serious students of knowledge and scholars in service of the Islamic tradition, please take note of the principles being violated in the first four points when it comes to the verifications of reports, conceptualizations of things in order to issue a ruling, and investigations of evidence to make a judgement:

1. Conspiracy theories have attributes that set them apart from other types of causal explanation. Albeit to varying degrees, they are speculative in that they posit actions that are hidden from public scrutiny, complex in that they postulate coordination of multiple actors, and resistant to falsification in that they postulate the conspirators use stealth and disinformation to cover up their actions — implying that people who try to debunk conspiracy theories may, themselves, be part of the conspiracy.
2. Conspiracy theories appear to…be stronger among people who habitually seek meaning and patterns in the environment, including believers in paranormal phenomena.
3. [R]esearch suggests that conspiracy belief is stronger when people experience distress as a result of feeling uncertain (I wonder what Imam Malik would’ve said if he couldn’t sit with uncertainty in 37 out of 43 questions).
4. Extreme and entrenched attitude positions are associated with conspiracy beliefs, suggesting that they may help people defend beliefs from disconfirmation.
5. Studies have shown that people are likely to turn to conspiracy theories when they are anxious and feel powerless. Other research indicates that conspiracy belief is strongly related to lack of sociopolitical control or lack of psychological empowerment. Experiments have shown that compared with baseline conditions, conspiracy belief is heightened when people feel unable to control outcomes and is reduced when their sense of control is affirmed.
6. Experimental exposure to conspiracy theories appears to immediately suppress people’s sense of autonomy and control. These same studies have also shown that it makes people less inclined to take actions that, in the long run, might boost their autonomy and control.
7. Furthermore, exposure to conspiracy theories may subtly undermine people’s autonomy in another way…people were effectively persuaded by proconspiracy material but were not aware that they had been persuaded and falsely recalled that their preexposure beliefs were identical to their new beliefs.
8. Conspiracy theories valorize the self and the in-group by allowing blame for negative outcomes to be attributed to others. Thus, they may help to uphold the image of the self and the in-group as competent and moral but as sabotaged by powerful and unscrupulous others.
9. Experimental results suggest that experiences of ostracism cause people to believe in superstitions and conspiracy theories, apparently as part of an effort to make sense of their experience.
10. People on losing (vs. winning) side of political processes appear more likely to believe in conspiracy theories… Groups who feel that they have been victimized are more likely to endorse conspiracy theories about powerful out-groups.
11. These findings suggest that conspiracy theories may be recruited defensively, to relieve the self or in-group from a sense of culpability for their disadvantaged position… In keeping with this defensive motivation… [conspiracy] belief is also predicated by collective narcissism — a belief in the in-group’s greatness paired with a belief that other people do not appreciate it enough.
12. Experiments show that exposure to conspiracy theories decreases trust in governmental institutions, even if the conspiracy theories are unrelated to those institutions. It also causes disenchantment with politicians and scientists.

Looking at how rampant conspiratorial thinking is in our midst, and how often I see it being promoted by otherwise intelligent and scholarly individuals, I find myself wondering how we could ever fulfill the Quranic responsibility of being witnesses upon people when so many of us prefer to suspend disbelief and go with fantastical speculations as opposed to dealing with tangible evidence we can actually point to.

May Allah grant us the humility to admit when we don’t know that we don’t know, and the wisdom to recognize when we’re not placing things in their rightful places.

Mohamed Ghilan earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience in 2015 and is currently a 4th-year medical student. He is the founder of Al-Andalus Academy, an online learning platform delivering traditional Islamic teachings and an online book club where non-fiction books are explored and discussed through an Islamic lens during live webinars.

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