As human beings, we try to explain and analyse events or situations that can have a possible emotional effect on us. In todays world, perfect rationality (i.e. full information) is impossible, and neither can necessarily rely on academic or scientific information all the time. Very often it is even difficult to describe the possible causal mechanisms that lie at the origins of such emotional effects. Therefore, when something proves difficult to explain, people often resort to more speculative (and extreme) explanations in order to find closure and to provide their cognitions with a plausible justification. In other words, it is in peoples nature to search for answers to the why question, especially when it concerns the ego.
A conspiracy theory has the ability to provide enough rationale for a comprehensive explanation, or at least a perceived comprehensive explanation. The key concept that makes this possible is the attribution of responsibility. A conspiracy theory attributes responsibility for a certain occurrence or a sequence of occurrences to an external group. For instance, the CIA, the Jews or the Freemasons. This creates a feeling of exclusion or insignificance on the part of those who looking to rationalise their emotional response to the occurrence. Chiming with some versions of populist politics, a conspiracy theory thus creates an in-group (in this case the hostile cabal) and an out-group (in this case the us or I), which in turn reinforces the cognitive interpretation of the occurrence and turns it into a confirmation bias.
A conspiracy theory attributes responsibility for a certain occurrence or a sequence of occurrences to an external group.
Cognitive psychology tells us that both the conscious and the unconscious psyche have a great impact on peoples perceptions and how they solve problems