Conspiracy Theories and Narcissism.

[FlashDangerpants]

Little article from Psychology Today discussing the links (which I was unaware of tbh) between tendencies to conspiratorial theorisings and tendencies to grandiose delusions of self-importance. Seems to me like this might be beneficial information for quite a few persons in this vicinity.

Do you know anybody who believes that a shadowy cabal of Jews runs all the media, and wants to use it to make you all homosexual? Or are you aware of any person who just assumes that a bunch of billionaires are trying to make it illegal for you to own your own shoes instead of renting them from a globalist mega-government? Does that person often treat you like you ought to know how much better they are than you? If you do, please try to help that person, because they need lots of help to overcome their immense burden of madness and stupidity.

Among the key points:

• Conspiracy theories are explanations that attribute the true cause of a major event to secret and malevolent plots by powerful agents or groups.

• Research shows that compared to the average person, narcissists are more likely to find conspiracy theories appealing.

• Paranoia, gullibility, need for dominance and uniqueness, and collective narcissism may explain why narcissists are drawn to conspiracy theories.

Here's a diagram which obviously makes everything official

[Peter Kropotkin]

one of the things I have noticed, is that they
certainly, consider themselves to be superior to others
by virtue of their ''knowledge'' of their conspiracy theories..
the ''I know something you don't superiority'' over the rest of us.....

and it is completely irrelevant what facts one brings to bear on
that conspiracy theory... they will believe in that conspiracy
regardless of the facts presented that make that conspiracy impossible..
the only truth they will consider is the conspiracy theory, all other
facts are ''fake news''...and if you don't believe in their particular conspiracy
theory, you are blind or stupid or a fool...or all three..

the conspiracy theorists believe in their conspiracy theory with
the certainty of a religious fanatic... and that is the best comparison,
conspiracy theorists are basically religious fanatics... and
nothing can change their mind, nothing....

Kropotkin

[promethean75]

I have a question. Can i still be a narcissist without being a conspiracy theorist? I certainly hope so.

My thing is I'm certain there are nefarious forces at work in the world but I don't attribute them to secret groups who try to conceal their activities. They do it quite openly and within full view. And i don't really even call them 'evil'... more like egoists who are either too stupid to realize that what they pretend to stand for (rights, liberty, freedom, etc) is incommensurate with what they do, or, they realize this and are merely concealing their egoist intentions. But that's not the same as concealing your activities, see. Who cares what u 'think'. It's what u do that matters and makes u a hypocrite or not. I'm good with evil people. It's the dummies and hypocrites that i can't stand.

[promethean75]

And i don't really think the forum conspiracy theorists are narcissists. Or I should say i don't think their proclivity to do conspiracy theory is a result of their over-evaluating their own intelligence (if that may be called narcissism). I think rather that conspiracy theory is a kind of simulation of battle that gives them a 'thrill of the fight' when their real lives are small, insignificant and mundane. It's exciting to delve into conspiracy theory for this reason. Gives them a new passion for something.

Think about it. If u feel like u know the truth, that u have the information and have put the pieces together while everyone else is oblivious to it, u feel super special and exclusive. This has got to be very exciting.

[Atla]

Except massive conspiracies do happen, just look at 9/11. And one of the reasons they can get away with them is exactly that many people are brainwashed into focusing on the countless crazy conspiracy theories, theorists, among which indeed there are many narcissists. And the few conspiracy theories that could be or are actually true, are automatically grouped together with the crazy ones.

[promethean75]

^^^ dude's got a point.

The real ones may be hiding among the fake ones.

Ew here's a good one: the grand conspirators propagate fake conspiracy theories over time in the media on purpose to generate public skepticism toward conspiracy theory in general so they can then initiate the big real ones later on, and nobody will believe they're happening.

That's smaht af tho, ain't it? Thank u, atla. I have a new found respect for the big conspirators now.

[Atla]

^^^ dude's got a point.

The real ones may be hiding among the fake ones.

Ew here's a good one: the grand conspirators propagate fake conspiracy theories over time in the media on purpose to generate public skepticism toward conspiracy theory in general so they can then initiate the big real ones later on, and nobody will believe they're happening.

That's smaht af tho, ain't it? Thank u, atla. I have a new found respect for the big conspirators now.

I don't know if this is intended sarcasm or not, but yes this is exactly how it was done for decades now.

[Walker]

one of the things I have noticed, is that they
certainly, consider themselves to be superior to others
by virtue of their ''knowledge'' of their conspiracy theorie
the ''I know something you don't superiority'' over the rest of us.....
Kropotkin

I have been through crap that would melt most people, I don't need to
have my world ''soften'' to make me feel better about myself.

You must know something that most people don't know, and therefore feel superior ...

It's the dummies and hypocrites that i can't stand.

Do you consider Peter Kropotkin to be a hypocrite for saying us, when he is them, and can you stand that?

the Will Durant mention will go over most people head basically because
only us old folk, remember who Will Durant is... I own most
of his work including all the books of the ''Story of Civilization"
series.... and of course his ''Story of Philosophy'' .....good stuff....

This special knowledge and age must make you feel superior, or consider yourself to have superior insight ...

[FlashDangerpants]

I have a question. Can i still be a narcissist without being a conspiracy theorist? I certainly hope so.

I think that for a good enough narcissist anything is possible

[Iwannaplato]

Minorities and other oppressed groups are more likely to consider conspiracy theories true. Maybe they're on to something.

For aged and wise like PK, there's one of Chomsky's early works, the Manufacturing of Consent. A couple of lefties pointing out how in democratic societies or 'democratic' societies the media can marginalize stories. That was back in 1988. Well, the media have consolidated radically since them. Obviously nowadays pretty much every possible view gets out there, but it's even easier to marginalize ideas.

Then there's the issue of context. In what country, at what time, are we judging those who this conspiracy X is happening to be more likely to be narcissists? PreWW2 Germany? I'm sure a lot of people poo pooed concerns that assimilated and non-assimilated Jews were in danger. Everyone is going on their intuition about how balanced the information is that we get.

We have people who analyze and intuit poorly on most sides of any issue.
The important thing is not what many of the people might be diagnosed as - I mean, there are all sorts of psychological reasons to not really consider and have bias when it comes to any hypothesis that is scary/the psychologizing cuts both ways.

Then there are people who can think and intuit. Look at what they say, the merits of it...or not.

As far as this idea that nothing can make a conspiracy theorist change his or her mind...how many minds have you seen change in any category of believer. It does happen, in fact, it may have happed to conspiracy theorists. It certainly happens to people over time as they move through experiences. But people changing mind over a core to them issue via reasoned argument...that's a rare bird for most groups of people.

[Iwannaplato]

Except massive conspiracies do happen, just look at 9/11.

I'm surprised that anyone pays demolition companies for their work after 9/11. Three buildings perfectly destroyed into their footprints (and mostly into dust) by two asymmetrical explosions and fires in two of the buildings. I mean, jesus, what's all this careful laying of charges, simultanesous disruption of all main supports in buildings for outrageous fees. Demolition companies have been running a scam on us for over a century.

[vegetariantaxidermy]

The irony is strong on the forum today. It's always a hoot when that happens

[promethean75]

"I think that for a good enough narcissist anything is possible"

Thank u for your support.

[FlashDangerpants]

As far as this idea that nothing can make a conspiracy theorist change his or her mind...how many minds have you seen change in any category of believer. It does happen, in fact, it may have happed to conspiracy theorists. It certainly happens to people over time as they move through experiences. But people changing mind over a core to them issue via reasoned argument...that's a rare bird for most groups of people.

Some of them sort of change their minds and move onto new conspiracies to theorise about. The ones who are in it for political reasons and need to believe the right conspiracy theories to keep up with their peers and pass some purity test.

So the general alt-right, such as Walker, run through a constantly updating series of conspiracy theories and consider very rude if you remind them they used to believe that Italian satellites switched the votes in an American election. There seems to be a list of conspiracy theories that alt-right types have to converge on for fear of being branded RINOs and they are really good at internalising it.

In the UK, 20 years ago it was normal for far left tankies to believe that global warming was a capitalist conspiracy designed to inhibit development in the 3rd world and ensure that African countries could never develop electrical infrastructure necessary for economic progress thus relegating them to permanent resource extraction status. I think that once the American right tookover the global warming conspiracy game, the European left kind of gave up on it. Although American Right and European left are back in lock step again today with both making the same set of conspiratorial arguments about NATO and Ukraine.

If you want to see more about this left wing global warming conspiracy theorising from back in the day, this is a documentary that ran at prime time in the UK back in 2007 The Great Global Warming Swindle - Full Documentary HD and because that's overly long, here's the wiki page for it

Those left wing conspiracy theorists have of course moved on to other things, most of them have now forgotten they believed that cojspo theory and these days can be found telling you that 7 corporations are responsible for all the carbon and so on.

[Atla]

The irony is strong on the forum today. It's always a hoot when that happens

I know right? And once again it's not even actually funny in your case.