Psychology of the Conspiracy Theorist

[LA RAM FAN]

More on this fascinating disease:

The Inner Worlds of Conspiracy Believers - US News and World Report

By Bruce Bower, Science News

Shortly after terrorist attacks destroyed the World Trade Center and mangled the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, conspiracy theories blossomed about secret and malevolent government plots behind the tragic events. A report scheduled to appear in an upcoming Applied Cognitive Psychology offers a preliminary psychological profile of people who believe in 9/11 conspiracies.

A team led by psychologist Viren Swami of the University of Westminster in London identified several traits associated with subscribing to 9/11 conspiracies, at least among British citizens. These characteristics consist of backing one or more conspiracy theories unrelated to 9/11, frequently talking about 9/11 conspiracy beliefs with likeminded friends and others, taking a cynical stance toward politics, mistrusting authority, endorsing democratic practices, feeling generally suspicious toward others and displaying an inquisitive, imaginative outlook.

“Often, the proof offered as evidence for a conspiracy is not specific to one incident or issue, but is used to justify a general pattern of conspiracy ideas,” Swami says.

His conclusion echoes a 1994 proposal by sociologist Ted Goertzel of Rutgers–Camden in New Jersey. After conducting random telephone interviews of 347 New Jersey residents, Goertzel proposed that each of a person’s convictions about secret plots serves as evidence for other conspiracy beliefs, bypassing any need for confirming evidence.

A belief that the government is covering up its involvement in the 9/11 attacks thus feeds the idea that the government is also hiding evidence of extraterrestrial contacts or that John F. Kennedy was not killed by a lone gunman.

Goertzel says the new study provides an intriguing but partial look at the inner workings of conspiracy thinking. Such convictions critically depend on what he calls “selective skepticism.” Conspiracy believers are highly doubtful about information from the government or other sources they consider suspect. But, without criticism, believers accept any source that supports their preconceived views, he says.

“Arguments advanced by conspiracy theorists tell you more about the believer than about the event,” Goertzel says.

Swami’s finding that 9/11 conspiracy believers frequently spoke with likeminded individuals supports the notion that “conspiracy thinkers constitute a community of believers,” remarks historian Robert Goldberg of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Goldberg has studied various conspiracy theories in the United States.

Conspiracy thinkers share an optimistic conviction that they can find “the truth,” spread it to the masses and foster social change, Goldberg asserts.

You call it a 'disease' when even your vaunted sources don't make that leap.

What does that say about you?

Besides the obvious fact that you're a smug, condescending asshole, that is...

 

[SAYIT]

More on this fascinating disease:

The Inner Worlds of Conspiracy Believers - US News and World Report

By Bruce Bower, Science News

Shortly after terrorist attacks destroyed the World Trade Center and mangled the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, conspiracy theories blossomed about secret and malevolent government plots behind the tragic events. A report scheduled to appear in an upcoming Applied Cognitive Psychology offers a preliminary psychological profile of people who believe in 9/11 conspiracies.

A team led by psychologist Viren Swami of the University of Westminster in London identified several traits associated with subscribing to 9/11 conspiracies, at least among British citizens. These characteristics consist of backing one or more conspiracy theories unrelated to 9/11, frequently talking about 9/11 conspiracy beliefs with likeminded friends and others, taking a cynical stance toward politics, mistrusting authority, endorsing democratic practices, feeling generally suspicious toward others and displaying an inquisitive, imaginative outlook.

“Often, the proof offered as evidence for a conspiracy is not specific to one incident or issue, but is used to justify a general pattern of conspiracy ideas,” Swami says.

His conclusion echoes a 1994 proposal by sociologist Ted Goertzel of Rutgers–Camden in New Jersey. After conducting random telephone interviews of 347 New Jersey residents, Goertzel proposed that each of a person’s convictions about secret plots serves as evidence for other conspiracy beliefs, bypassing any need for confirming evidence.

A belief that the government is covering up its involvement in the 9/11 attacks thus feeds the idea that the government is also hiding evidence of extraterrestrial contacts or that John F. Kennedy was not killed by a lone gunman.

Goertzel says the new study provides an intriguing but partial look at the inner workings of conspiracy thinking. Such convictions critically depend on what he calls “selective skepticism.” Conspiracy believers are highly doubtful about information from the government or other sources they consider suspect. But, without criticism, believers accept any source that supports their preconceived views, he says.

“Arguments advanced by conspiracy theorists tell you more about the believer than about the event,” Goertzel says.

Swami’s finding that 9/11 conspiracy believers frequently spoke with likeminded individuals supports the notion that “conspiracy thinkers constitute a community of believers,” remarks historian Robert Goldberg of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Goldberg has studied various conspiracy theories in the United States.

Conspiracy thinkers share an optimistic conviction that they can find “the truth,” spread it to the masses and foster social change, Goldberg asserts.

You call it a 'disease' when even your vaunted sources don't make that leap.

What does that say about you?

Besides the obvious fact that you're a smug, condescending asshole, that is...

Your anger is understandable, Princess.
It can't be comforting to think of yourself as a sicky but I call 'em like I see 'em, and the real question is what does your belief in conspiracy theories say about you?

 

[LA RAM FAN]

Best to take this advise Guy.

 

[SAYIT]

The case only you believe you have.
I understand why one such as you would turn off his board REP rating but you can't hide from the fact that only a couple of hundred posters have found your shrill, desperate braying to be worthy of their thanks. Evidently they don't want to be connected with you in any way. I feel dirty just responding to your silliness, Princess.

is this your little conspiracy theory...lol...what a moron

Welcome to the world of SAYIT and how he debates.Everytime you ask him to prove that short five minute video to be wrong and challenge him to do so,like all frady cat deniars,he cowardly runs off and all he can do is come back with pathetic one liners all the time in defeat since he knows he is cornered.

Woo. Shrill, desperate and stupid ... an Inside Job trifecta!
With all due respect, if I was a fan of conspiracy theories, I'd give 'em up so as not to be associated with peeps like you, Princess.

 

[LA RAM FAN]

see there Guy.to your OWN logic,you are a lying troll cause even YOU said earlier that Guy makes intelligent posts.well even Guy said you are an asshole so since you say Guy is an intelligent,thats all the proof is the world that you are a condescending asshole troll.well done.

 

[LA RAM FAN]

More on this fascinating disease:

The Inner Worlds of Conspiracy Believers - US News and World Report

By Bruce Bower, Science News

Shortly after terrorist attacks destroyed the World Trade Center and mangled the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, conspiracy theories blossomed about secret and malevolent government plots behind the tragic events. A report scheduled to appear in an upcoming Applied Cognitive Psychology offers a preliminary psychological profile of people who believe in 9/11 conspiracies.

A team led by psychologist Viren Swami of the University of Westminster in London identified several traits associated with subscribing to 9/11 conspiracies, at least among British citizens. These characteristics consist of backing one or more conspiracy theories unrelated to 9/11, frequently talking about 9/11 conspiracy beliefs with likeminded friends and others, taking a cynical stance toward politics, mistrusting authority, endorsing democratic practices, feeling generally suspicious toward others and displaying an inquisitive, imaginative outlook.

“Often, the proof offered as evidence for a conspiracy is not specific to one incident or issue, but is used to justify a general pattern of conspiracy ideas,” Swami says.

His conclusion echoes a 1994 proposal by sociologist Ted Goertzel of Rutgers–Camden in New Jersey. After conducting random telephone interviews of 347 New Jersey residents, Goertzel proposed that each of a person’s convictions about secret plots serves as evidence for other conspiracy beliefs, bypassing any need for confirming evidence.

A belief that the government is covering up its involvement in the 9/11 attacks thus feeds the idea that the government is also hiding evidence of extraterrestrial contacts or that John F. Kennedy was not killed by a lone gunman.

Goertzel says the new study provides an intriguing but partial look at the inner workings of conspiracy thinking. Such convictions critically depend on what he calls “selective skepticism.” Conspiracy believers are highly doubtful about information from the government or other sources they consider suspect. But, without criticism, believers accept any source that supports their preconceived views, he says.

“Arguments advanced by conspiracy theorists tell you more about the believer than about the event,” Goertzel says.

Swami’s finding that 9/11 conspiracy believers frequently spoke with likeminded individuals supports the notion that “conspiracy thinkers constitute a community of believers,” remarks historian Robert Goldberg of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Goldberg has studied various conspiracy theories in the United States.

Conspiracy thinkers share an optimistic conviction that they can find “the truth,” spread it to the masses and foster social change, Goldberg asserts.

You call it a 'disease' when even your vaunted sources don't make that leap.

What does that say about you?

Besides the obvious fact that you're a smug, condescending asshole, that is...

Your anger is understandable, Princess.
It can't be comforting to think of yourself as a sicky but I call 'em like I see 'em, and the real question is what does your belief in conspiracy theories say about you?

he may be angry,but he isnt a lying troll who is so pathetic that he runs off with his tail between his legs when cornered as you have demonstrated throughout this entire thread. you just ty and laugh it off cause your really crying in defeat as we both know,

 

[GuyPinestra]

More on this fascinating disease:

The Inner Worlds of Conspiracy Believers - US News and World Report

By Bruce Bower, Science News

Shortly after terrorist attacks destroyed the World Trade Center and mangled the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, conspiracy theories blossomed about secret and malevolent government plots behind the tragic events. A report scheduled to appear in an upcoming Applied Cognitive Psychology offers a preliminary psychological profile of people who believe in 9/11 conspiracies.

A team led by psychologist Viren Swami of the University of Westminster in London identified several traits associated with subscribing to 9/11 conspiracies, at least among British citizens. These characteristics consist of backing one or more conspiracy theories unrelated to 9/11, frequently talking about 9/11 conspiracy beliefs with likeminded friends and others, taking a cynical stance toward politics, mistrusting authority, endorsing democratic practices, feeling generally suspicious toward others and displaying an inquisitive, imaginative outlook.

“Often, the proof offered as evidence for a conspiracy is not specific to one incident or issue, but is used to justify a general pattern of conspiracy ideas,” Swami says.

His conclusion echoes a 1994 proposal by sociologist Ted Goertzel of Rutgers–Camden in New Jersey. After conducting random telephone interviews of 347 New Jersey residents, Goertzel proposed that each of a person’s convictions about secret plots serves as evidence for other conspiracy beliefs, bypassing any need for confirming evidence.

A belief that the government is covering up its involvement in the 9/11 attacks thus feeds the idea that the government is also hiding evidence of extraterrestrial contacts or that John F. Kennedy was not killed by a lone gunman.

Goertzel says the new study provides an intriguing but partial look at the inner workings of conspiracy thinking. Such convictions critically depend on what he calls “selective skepticism.” Conspiracy believers are highly doubtful about information from the government or other sources they consider suspect. But, without criticism, believers accept any source that supports their preconceived views, he says.

“Arguments advanced by conspiracy theorists tell you more about the believer than about the event,” Goertzel says.

Swami’s finding that 9/11 conspiracy believers frequently spoke with likeminded individuals supports the notion that “conspiracy thinkers constitute a community of believers,” remarks historian Robert Goldberg of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Goldberg has studied various conspiracy theories in the United States.

Conspiracy thinkers share an optimistic conviction that they can find “the truth,” spread it to the masses and foster social change, Goldberg asserts.

You call it a 'disease' when even your vaunted sources don't make that leap.

What does that say about you?

Besides the obvious fact that you're a smug, condescending asshole, that is...

Your anger is understandable, Princess.
It can't be comforting to think of yourself as a sicky but I call 'em like I see 'em, and the real question is what does your belief in conspiracy theories say about you?

You know SAYIT, I've tried to be reasonable with you, and I thought that reason was going to be returned in kind. Instead I get told that I have a 'disease' because I don't trust the same government that gave us above ground nuclear tests and the Tuskegee syphilis experiments.

Obviously you do.

So take your smug, condescending attitude and shove it straight up your tailpipe, and while you're at it, you delusional piece of mental flotsam, take your 'Princess' and shove her there, too. I'm sure there's plenty of room for a fist-fucking little faggot like you.

 

[SAYIT]

see there Guy.to your OWN logic,you are a lying troll cause even YOU said earlier that Guy makes intelligent posts.well even Guy said you are an asshole so since you say Guy is an intelligent,thats all the proof is the world that you are a condescending asshole troll.well done.

Indeed I did say Guy seems to be a reasonably thoughtful poster, Princess, and I also said you are a shrill and desperate moron. Both opinions remain intact as of 6:03 PM.

 

[Rat in the Hat]

You call it a 'disease' when even your vaunted sources don't make that leap.

What does that say about you?

Besides the obvious fact that you're a smug, condescending asshole, that is...

Your anger is understandable, Princess.
It can't be comforting to think of yourself as a sicky but I call 'em like I see 'em, and the real question is what does your belief in conspiracy theories say about you?

You know SAYIT, I've tried to be reasonable with you, and I thought that reason was going to be returned in kind. Instead I get told that I have a 'disease' because I don't trust the same government that gave us above ground nuclear tests and the Tuskegee syphilis experiments.

Obviously you do.

So take your smug, condescending attitude and shove it straight up your tailpipe, and while you're at it, you delusional piece of mental flotsam, take your 'Princess' and shove her there, too. I'm sure there's plenty of room for a fist-fucking little faggot like you.

What's the conspiracy about the above ground nuclear tests? I seem to have missed that one.

 

[PredFan]

I took the test, it was amusing. The only "conspiracy" that I believe is the one that's true. Some scientists, not all mind you, are fabricating and concealing evidence about Climate Change. That's true. The others, 9-11, UFOs, JFK, etc., are false. They pretty much happened as history says.

 

[PredFan]

They left out the other completely looney tunes theory that man never did walk on the moon.

 

[PredFan]

and the fireman shooting the other day

The one theory i do believe is that Truthmatters is proof that the brain dead walk among us.

 

[SAYIT]

You call it a 'disease' when even your vaunted sources don't make that leap.

What does that say about you?

Besides the obvious fact that you're a smug, condescending asshole, that is...

Your anger is understandable, Princess.
It can't be comforting to think of yourself as a sicky but I call 'em like I see 'em, and the real question is what does your belief in conspiracy theories say about you?

You know SAYIT, I've tried to be reasonable with you, and I thought that reason was going to be returned in kind. Instead I get told that I have a 'disease' because I don't trust the same government that gave us above ground nuclear tests and the Tuskegee syphilis experiments.

Obviously you do.

So take your smug, condescending attitude and shove it straight up your tailpipe, and while you're at it, you delusional piece of mental flotsam, take your 'Princess' and shove her there, too. I'm sure there's plenty of room for a fist-fucking little faggot like you.

Nowhere did I say, imply or infer that I trust anyone. I simply find the machinations of conspiracy theorists far more compelling than their theories, but you have a nice night anyway.

 

[GuyPinestra]

Your anger is understandable, Princess.
It can't be comforting to think of yourself as a sicky but I call 'em like I see 'em, and the real question is what does your belief in conspiracy theories say about you?

You know SAYIT, I've tried to be reasonable with you, and I thought that reason was going to be returned in kind. Instead I get told that I have a 'disease' because I don't trust the same government that gave us above ground nuclear tests and the Tuskegee syphilis experiments.

Obviously you do.

So take your smug, condescending attitude and shove it straight up your tailpipe, and while you're at it, you delusional piece of mental flotsam, take your 'Princess' and shove her there, too. I'm sure there's plenty of room for a fist-fucking little faggot like you.

What's the conspiracy about the above ground nuclear tests? I seem to have missed that one.

Never heard of the 'Downwinders', huh? Not surprised...

Here, this is our government at work...

Skull Valley: Resources: Utah's Nuclear Past

 

[SAYIT]

You call it a 'disease' when even your vaunted sources don't make that leap.

What does that say about you?

Besides the obvious fact that you're a smug, condescending asshole, that is...

Your anger is understandable, Princess.
It can't be comforting to think of yourself as a sicky but I call 'em like I see 'em, and the real question is what does your belief in conspiracy theories say about you?

he may be angry,but he isnt a lying troll who is so pathetic that he runs off with his tail between his legs when cornered as you have demonstrated throughout this entire thread. you just ty and laugh it off cause your really crying in defeat as we both know,

Still no proof of your planted evidence claim, eh Princess?

 

[Rat in the Hat]

You know SAYIT, I've tried to be reasonable with you, and I thought that reason was going to be returned in kind. Instead I get told that I have a 'disease' because I don't trust the same government that gave us above ground nuclear tests and the Tuskegee syphilis experiments.

Obviously you do.

So take your smug, condescending attitude and shove it straight up your tailpipe, and while you're at it, you delusional piece of mental flotsam, take your 'Princess' and shove her there, too. I'm sure there's plenty of room for a fist-fucking little faggot like you.

What's the conspiracy about the above ground nuclear tests? I seem to have missed that one.

Never heard of the 'Downwinders', huh? Not surprised...

Here, this is our government at work...

Skull Valley: Resources: Utah's Nuclear Past

So where's the conspiracy? Back in the 50's & 60's, nobody really knew about long term radiation effects. Everyone thought radiation was so harmless, people that painted radium on glow in the dark watches used to lick the brushes to get a finer point.

 

[Toro]

Have you ever noticed the same people are prone to conspiracy theories?

Over and over and over again?

No matter how whacky or ridiculous, they'll believe it.

There's a reason.

They're stupid!

But there's also another reason.

There are psychological explanations for why conspiracy theories are so seductive. Academics who study them argue that they meet a basic human need: to have the magnitude of any given effect be balanced by the magnitude of the cause behind it. A world in which tiny causes can have huge consequences feels scary and unreliable. Therefore a grand disaster like Sept. 11 needs a grand conspiracy behind it. "We tend to associate major events--a President or princess dying--with major causes," says Patrick Leman, a lecturer in psychology at Royal Holloway University of London, who has conducted studies on conspiracy belief. "If we think big events like a President being assassinated can happen at the hands of a minor individual, that points to the unpredictability and randomness of life and unsettles us." In that sense, the idea that there is a malevolent controlling force orchestrating global events is, in a perverse way, comforting.

Why the 9/11 Conspiracy Theories Won't Go Away -- Printout -- TIME

 

[GuyPinestra]

What's the conspiracy about the above ground nuclear tests? I seem to have missed that one.

Never heard of the 'Downwinders', huh? Not surprised...

Here, this is our government at work...

Skull Valley: Resources: Utah's Nuclear Past

So where's the conspiracy? Back in the 50's & 60's, nobody really knew about long term radiation effects. Everyone thought radiation was so harmless, people that painted radium on glow in the dark watches used to lick the brushes to get a finer point.

You should read the article, Rat.

For four decades, the U.S. government covered up the human and environmental devastation of fallout from atomic testing. During the years of testing, the government continually reassured citizens that atomic testing was safe and even encouraged families to "participate in a moment of history" by watching the blasts. Some Utahns still have copies of the pamphlets issued by the government featuring pictures of tranquil cowboys and bylines assuring: "Fallout does not constitute a serious hazard to any living thing outside the test site." Officials claimed that radiation in bombs was no more harmful than sunshine.

New York Times correspondent Keith Schneider called atomic testing "the most prodigiously reckless programs of scientific experimentation in U.S. history." Documents declassified after the Cold War ended show that the government had evidence as early as 1953 that cows eating fallout-contaminated foliage could deliver radioactive iodine-131 to milk drinkers, which could cause thyroid cancer in downwind areas such as Utah.

There's more, of course, but that's our government.

 

[SAYIT]

Have you ever noticed the same people are prone to conspiracy theories?

Over and over and over again?

No matter how whacky or ridiculous, they'll believe it.

There's a reason.

They're stupid!

But there's also another reason.

There are psychological explanations for why conspiracy theories are so seductive. Academics who study them argue that they meet a basic human need: to have the magnitude of any given effect be balanced by the magnitude of the cause behind it. A world in which tiny causes can have huge consequences feels scary and unreliable. Therefore a grand disaster like Sept. 11 needs a grand conspiracy behind it. "We tend to associate major events--a President or princess dying--with major causes," says Patrick Leman, a lecturer in psychology at Royal Holloway University of London, who has conducted studies on conspiracy belief. "If we think big events like a President being assassinated can happen at the hands of a minor individual, that points to the unpredictability and randomness of life and unsettles us." In that sense, the idea that there is a malevolent controlling force orchestrating global events is, in a perverse way, comforting.

Why the 9/11 Conspiracy Theories Won't Go Away -- Printout -- TIME

They aren't all stupid, Toro, but they do share some peculiar character traits.

The Inner Worlds of Conspiracy Believers - US News and World Report

A team led by psychologist Viren Swami of the University of Westminster in London identified several traits associated with subscribing to 9/11 conspiracies, at least among British citizens. These characteristics consist of backing one or more conspiracy theories unrelated to 9/11, frequently talking about 9/11 conspiracy beliefs with likeminded friends and others, taking a cynical stance toward politics, mistrusting authority, endorsing democratic practices, feeling generally suspicious toward others and displaying an inquisitive, imaginative outlook.

“Often, the proof offered as evidence for a conspiracy is not specific to one incident or issue, but is used to justify a general pattern of conspiracy ideas,” Swami says.

His conclusion echoes a 1994 proposal by sociologist Ted Goertzel of Rutgers–Camden in New Jersey. After conducting random telephone interviews of 347 New Jersey residents, Goertzel proposed that each of a person’s convictions about secret plots serves as evidence for other conspiracy beliefs, bypassing any need for confirming evidence.

A belief that the government is covering up its involvement in the 9/11 attacks thus feeds the idea that the government is also hiding evidence of extraterrestrial contacts or that John F. Kennedy was not killed by a lone gunman.

Goertzel says the new study provides an intriguing but partial look at the inner workings of conspiracy thinking. Such convictions critically depend on what he calls “selective skepticism.” Conspiracy believers are highly doubtful about information from the government or other sources they consider suspect. But, without criticism, believers accept any source that supports their preconceived views, he says.

“Arguments advanced by conspiracy theorists tell you more about the believer than about the event,” Goertzel says.

Swami’s finding that 9/11 conspiracy believers frequently spoke with likeminded individuals supports the notion that “conspiracy thinkers constitute a community of believers,” remarks historian Robert Goldberg of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Goldberg has studied various conspiracy theories in the United States.

Conspiracy thinkers share an optimistic conviction that they can find “the truth,” spread it to the masses and foster social change, Goldberg asserts.

Over the past 50 years, researchers and observers of social dynamics have traced beliefs in conspiracy theories to feelings of powerlessness, attempts to bolster self-esteem and diminished faith in government. Some conspiracy beliefs — such as the widespread conviction among blacks that the U.S. government concocted HIV/AIDS as a genocidal plot — gain strength from actual events, such as the once-secret Tuskegee experiments in which black men with syphilis were denied treatment.

Swami and his colleagues administered a battery of questionnaires to 257 British adults, including a condensed version of a standard personality test. Participants came from a variety of ethnic, religious and social backgrounds representative of the British population.

Most participants expressed either no support or weak support for 16 conspiracy beliefs about 9/11. These beliefs included: “The World Trade Center towers were brought down by a controlled demolition” and, “Individuals within the U.S. government knew of the impending attacks and purposely failed to act on that knowledge.”

Much as Swami’s team suspected, beliefs in 9/11 conspiracy theories were stronger among individuals whose personalities combined suspicion and antagonism toward others with intellectual curiosity and an active imagination.

A related, unpublished survey of more than 1,000 British adults found that 9/11 conspiracy believers not only often subscribed to a variety of well-known conspiracy theories, but also frequently agreed with an invented conspiracy. Christopher French of Goldsmiths, University of London, and Patrick Leman of Royal Holloway, University of London, both psychologists, asked volunteers about eight common conspiracy theories and one that researchers made up: “The government is using mobile phone technology to track everyone all the time.”

 

[Rat in the Hat]

They left out the other completely looney tunes theory that man never did walk on the moon.

Did they include the goofy "chemtrails" conspiracy?