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13 - Connecting Conspiracy Beliefs and Experiences of Social Exclusion

from Part III - Topics Related to the Exclusion–Extremism Link

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 May 2024

By
Roland Imhoff
Edited by
Michaela Pfundmair ,
Andrew H. Hales  and
Kipling D. Williams
Michaela Pfundmair
Affiliation:
Federal University of Administrative Sciences, Germany
Andrew H. Hales
Affiliation:
University of Mississippi
Kipling D. Williams
Affiliation:
Purdue University, Indiana
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Summary

Both ostracism experiences and conspiracy beliefs have been discussed as formative ingredients of radicalization trajectories and violent extremism. The present chapter provides a brief introduction to the psychology of conspiracy beliefs and the connections made to violent extremism. In its central part, it discusses the connection between the two in discussing (1) direct evidence for ostracism experiences increasing conspiracy belief, (2) indirect evidence via highlighting how the four fundamental needs postulated to be threatened by ostracism have also been connected to conspiracy beliefs, and (3) a discussion of the reverse causation of expressing conspiracy beliefs leading to being ostracized. In all sections, specific emphasis will be dedicated to the question of how reliable and strong the available evidence is, with experimental evidence weighing heavier than correlational evidence and repeatedly replicated and meta-analytically robust effect weighing heavier than single demonstrations.

Keywords

conspiracy mentalityconspiracy theoryostracismsocial exclusionneed-threatradicalization
Type
Chapter
Information
Exclusion and Extremism
A Psychological Perspective
 , pp. 287 - 307
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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