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Chapter 3 - Psychological Motives of QAnon Followers

from Part II - Recruiting and Maintaining Followers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 September 2023

By
Ricky Green ,
Carolina Trella ,
Mikey Biddlestone ,
Karen M. Douglas  and
Robbie M. Sutton
Edited by
Monica K. Miller
Monica K. Miller
Affiliation:
University of Nevada, Reno
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Summary

Research suggests that people adopt conspiracy theories in an attempt to satisfy (1) existential (e.g., the need to feel secure and in control), (2) epistemic (e.g., the need to understand the world), and (3) social (e.g., the need to feel positive about one’s self or group) motives (Douglas et al., 2017). In this chapter, we consider the extent to which this framework can explain belief in the QAnon conspiracy theory specifically. QAnon beliefs appear to be driven by existential threats, such as the belief that there is a vast satanic paedophile ring which is being covered up by left-wing Hollywood elites. Regarding epistemic motives, such as the tendency to seek patterns where they do not exist, it becomes understandable why some people might be attracted by cryptic “Q Drops.” Finally, QAnon beliefs are typically right-wing and tend to point the finger towards the left-wing elite for all the alleged wrong-doings. QAnon beliefs, therefore, also appear to be socially motivated. Following the discussion, we outline the similarities and differences between QAnon and other conspiracy theories, and outline ideas for future research.

Keywords

existentialepistemicsocialmotivesconspiracy beliefsQAnonQ
Type
Chapter
Information
The Social Science of QAnon
A New Social and Political Phenomenon
 , pp. 33 - 48
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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