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Topic: Paranoia and the Roots of Conspiracy Theories
InvictusV Joined Sun 11/23/08 Posts: 5282	Sat 04/21/12 09:25 AM
September 11 and the psychological roots of conspiracy theories. Implausible visions of a lunatic fringe.. Rather than speculating about the existence of specific conspiracies, I find a far more intriguing topic to be the psychology behind conspiracy thinking. Fortunately, an excellent book called Empire of Conspiracy by Tim Melley explores this issue. Melley seeks to explain why conspiracy theories and paranoia have become so pervasive in American culture in recent decades. He discusses some of the paranoia behind our obsessions with political assassinations, gender and race relations, stalkers, mind control, bureaucracies, and the power of corporations and governments. Melley proposes that conspiracy thinking arises from a combination of two factors, when someone: 1) holds strong individualist values and 2) lacks a sense of control. The first attribute refers to people who care deeply about an individual's right to make their own choices and direct their own lives without interference or obligations to a larger system (like the government). But combine this with a sense of powerlessness in one's own life, and you get what Melley calls agency panic, "intense anxiety about an apparent loss of autonomy" to outside forces or regulators. When fervent individualists feel that they cannot exercise their independence, they experience a crisis and assume that larger forces are to blame for usurping this freedom. "For one who refuses to relinquish the assumptions of liberal individualism, such newly revealed forms of regulation frequently seem so unacceptable or unbelievable that they can only be met with anxiety, melodrama, or panic." Although Melley doesn't present any empirical data to show that conspiracy thinking has been increasing for these reasons, some research by psychologist Jean Twenge is consistent with his hypotheses. Twenge's research examines how Americans' personality traits have been changing over the past several decades. She reviews the results of hundreds of studies published from the 1960s through the end of the century, looking at the personality scores for each year. For example, she finds that trait anxiety (or neuroticism) has been rising dramatically in both children and adults over this period. In another study, she shows that people have come to hold an increasingly stronger external "locus of control"; this refers to the feeling that external forces are determining what happens to you, as opposed to an internal locus of control, the feeling that you dictate your own outcomes. Twenge suggests that the stronger external locus of control reflects our ever-increasing exposure to uncontrollable events and a rise in the "victim mentality" of our culture. (Is this sounding familiar?) http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-narcissus-in-all-us/200809/paranoia-and-the-roots-conspiracy-theories Implausible visions of a lunatic fringe.. indeed..

Conrad_73 Joined Sat 09/29/07 Posts: 22488	Sat 04/21/12 09:33 AM
September 11 and the psychological roots of conspiracy theories. Implausible visions of a lunatic fringe.. Rather than speculating about the existence of specific conspiracies, I find a far more intriguing topic to be the psychology behind conspiracy thinking. Fortunately, an excellent book called Empire of Conspiracy by Tim Melley explores this issue. Melley seeks to explain why conspiracy theories and paranoia have become so pervasive in American culture in recent decades. He discusses some of the paranoia behind our obsessions with political assassinations, gender and race relations, stalkers, mind control, bureaucracies, and the power of corporations and governments. Melley proposes that conspiracy thinking arises from a combination of two factors, when someone: 1) holds strong individualist values and 2) lacks a sense of control. The first attribute refers to people who care deeply about an individual's right to make their own choices and direct their own lives without interference or obligations to a larger system (like the government). But combine this with a sense of powerlessness in one's own life, and you get what Melley calls agency panic, "intense anxiety about an apparent loss of autonomy" to outside forces or regulators. When fervent individualists feel that they cannot exercise their independence, they experience a crisis and assume that larger forces are to blame for usurping this freedom. "For one who refuses to relinquish the assumptions of liberal individualism, such newly revealed forms of regulation frequently seem so unacceptable or unbelievable that they can only be met with anxiety, melodrama, or panic." Although Melley doesn't present any empirical data to show that conspiracy thinking has been increasing for these reasons, some research by psychologist Jean Twenge is consistent with his hypotheses. Twenge's research examines how Americans' personality traits have been changing over the past several decades. She reviews the results of hundreds of studies published from the 1960s through the end of the century, looking at the personality scores for each year. For example, she finds that trait anxiety (or neuroticism) has been rising dramatically in both children and adults over this period. In another study, she shows that people have come to hold an increasingly stronger external "locus of control"; this refers to the feeling that external forces are determining what happens to you, as opposed to an internal locus of control, the feeling that you dictate your own outcomes. Twenge suggests that the stronger external locus of control reflects our ever-increasing exposure to uncontrollable events and a rise in the "victim mentality" of our culture. (Is this sounding familiar?) http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-narcissus-in-all-us/200809/paranoia-and-the-roots-conspiracy-theories Implausible visions of a lunatic fringe.. indeed.. Nailed it right down!

Leigh2154 Joined Sun 10/02/11 Posts: 16479	Sat 04/21/12 09:49 AM
September 11 and the psychological roots of conspiracy theories. Implausible visions of a lunatic fringe.. Rather than speculating about the existence of specific conspiracies, I find a far more intriguing topic to be the psychology behind conspiracy thinking. Fortunately, an excellent book called Empire of Conspiracy by Tim Melley explores this issue. Melley seeks to explain why conspiracy theories and paranoia have become so pervasive in American culture in recent decades. He discusses some of the paranoia behind our obsessions with political assassinations, gender and race relations, stalkers, mind control, bureaucracies, and the power of corporations and governments. Melley proposes that conspiracy thinking arises from a combination of two factors, when someone: 1) holds strong individualist values and 2) lacks a sense of control. The first attribute refers to people who care deeply about an individual's right to make their own choices and direct their own lives without interference or obligations to a larger system (like the government). But combine this with a sense of powerlessness in one's own life, and you get what Melley calls agency panic, "intense anxiety about an apparent loss of autonomy" to outside forces or regulators. When fervent individualists feel that they cannot exercise their independence, they experience a crisis and assume that larger forces are to blame for usurping this freedom. "For one who refuses to relinquish the assumptions of liberal individualism, such newly revealed forms of regulation frequently seem so unacceptable or unbelievable that they can only be met with anxiety, melodrama, or panic." Although Melley doesn't present any empirical data to show that conspiracy thinking has been increasing for these reasons, some research by psychologist Jean Twenge is consistent with his hypotheses. Twenge's research examines how Americans' personality traits have been changing over the past several decades. She reviews the results of hundreds of studies published from the 1960s through the end of the century, looking at the personality scores for each year. For example, she finds that trait anxiety (or neuroticism) has been rising dramatically in both children and adults over this period. In another study, she shows that people have come to hold an increasingly stronger external "locus of control"; this refers to the feeling that external forces are determining what happens to you, as opposed to an internal locus of control, the feeling that you dictate your own outcomes. Twenge suggests that the stronger external locus of control reflects our ever-increasing exposure to uncontrollable events and a rise in the "victim mentality" of our culture. (Is this sounding familiar?) http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-narcissus-in-all-us/200809/paranoia-and-the-roots-conspiracy-theories Implausible visions of a lunatic fringe.. indeed.. Highlighted areas are pure perfection!

Troubled Joined Sat 12/22/07 Posts: 295	Sat 04/21/12 10:56 AM
Or not.

robson28 Joined Fri 07/23/10 Posts: 2	Sat 04/21/12 01:23 PM
First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win.

Bestinshow Joined Mon 06/01/09 Posts: 5540	Sat 04/21/12 01:45 PM Edited by Bestinshow on Sat 04/21/12 01:46 PM
September 11 and the psychological roots of conspiracy theories. Implausible visions of a lunatic fringe.. Rather than speculating about the existence of specific conspiracies, I find a far more intriguing topic to be the psychology behind conspiracy thinking. Fortunately, an excellent book called Empire of Conspiracy by Tim Melley explores this issue. Melley seeks to explain why conspiracy theories and paranoia have become so pervasive in American culture in recent decades. He discusses some of the paranoia behind our obsessions with political assassinations, gender and race relations, stalkers, mind control, bureaucracies, and the power of corporations and governments. Melley proposes that conspiracy thinking arises from a combination of two factors, when someone: 1) holds strong individualist values and 2) lacks a sense of control. The first attribute refers to people who care deeply about an individual's right to make their own choices and direct their own lives without interference or obligations to a larger system (like the government). But combine this with a sense of powerlessness in one's own life, and you get what Melley calls agency panic, "intense anxiety about an apparent loss of autonomy" to outside forces or regulators. When fervent individualists feel that they cannot exercise their independence, they experience a crisis and assume that larger forces are to blame for usurping this freedom. "For one who refuses to relinquish the assumptions of liberal individualism, such newly revealed forms of regulation frequently seem so unacceptable or unbelievable that they can only be met with anxiety, melodrama, or panic." Although Melley doesn't present any empirical data to show that conspiracy thinking has been increasing for these reasons, some research by psychologist Jean Twenge is consistent with his hypotheses. Twenge's research examines how Americans' personality traits have been changing over the past several decades. She reviews the results of hundreds of studies published from the 1960s through the end of the century, looking at the personality scores for each year. For example, she finds that trait anxiety (or neuroticism) has been rising dramatically in both children and adults over this period. In another study, she shows that people have come to hold an increasingly stronger external "locus of control"; this refers to the feeling that external forces are determining what happens to you, as opposed to an internal locus of control, the feeling that you dictate your own outcomes. Twenge suggests that the stronger external locus of control reflects our ever-increasing exposure to uncontrollable events and a rise in the "victim mentality" of our culture. (Is this sounding familiar?) http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-narcissus-in-all-us/200809/paranoia-and-the-roots-conspiracy-theories Implausible visions of a lunatic fringe.. indeed.. Sounds like they are talking about Ted Nugent They want MY guns! Obama isnt an american! etc etc

khiwarrior Joined Sun 04/01/12 Posts: 434	Sat 04/21/12 01:50 PM
well...as a friend of mine was raped and murdered a few years ago and the cops essentially covered it up by not investigating it properly...i can totally see how conspiracy's happen george carlin on conspiracy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO0-u900OG4

robson28 Joined Fri 07/23/10 Posts: 2	Sat 04/21/12 01:52 PM
Cognitive Dissonance Description This is the feeling of uncomfortable tension which comes from holding two conflicting thoughts in the mind at the same time. Dissonance increases with: •The importance of the subject to us. •How strongly the dissonant thoughts conflict. •Our inability to rationalize and explain away the conflict. Dissonance is often strong when we believe something about ourselves and then do something against that belief. If I believe I am good but do something bad, then the discomfort I feel as a result is cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is a very powerful motivator which will often lead us to change one or other of the conflicting belief or action. The discomfort often feels like a tension between the two opposing thoughts. To release the tension we can take one of three actions: •Change our behavior. •Justify our behavior by changing the conflicting cognition. •Justify our behavior by adding new cognitions. Dissonance is most powerful when it is about our self-image. Feelings of foolishness, immorality and so on (including internal projections during decision-making) are dissonance in action. If an action has been completed and cannot be undone, then the after-the-fact dissonance compels us to change our beliefs. If beliefs are moved, then the dissonance appears during decision-making, forcing us to take actions we would not have taken before. Cognitive dissonance appears in virtually all evaluations and decisions and is the central mechanism by which we experience new differences in the world. When we see other people behave differently to our images of them, when we hold any conflicting thoughts, we experience dissonance. Dissonance increases with the importance and impact of the decision, along with the difficulty of reversing it. Discomfort about making the wrong choice of car is bigger than when choosing a lamp. Using it Cognitive dissonance is central to many forms of persuasion to change beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviors. The tension can be injected suddenly or allowed to build up over time. People can be moved in many small jumps or one large one. Defending When you start feeling uncomfortable, stop and see if you can find the inner conflict. Then notice how that came about. If it was somebody else who put that conflict there, you can decide not to play any more with them.

Bestinshow Joined Mon 06/01/09 Posts: 5540	Sat 04/21/12 02:00 PM
All y ou realy need to understand this distorted article above is within the text itself, I qoute from above. "although Melley doesn't present any empirical data to show that conspiracy thinking has been increasing for these reasons" nuff said.

Conrad_73 Joined Sat 09/29/07 Posts: 22488	Sat 04/21/12 02:04 PM
All y ou realy need to understand this distorted article above is within the text itself, I qoute from above. "although Melley doesn't present any empirical data to show that conspiracy thinking has been increasing for these reasons" nuff said. Nailed?

Bestinshow Joined Mon 06/01/09 Posts: 5540	Sun 04/22/12 07:37 AM
All y ou realy need to understand this distorted article above is within the text itself, I qoute from above. "although Melley doesn't present any empirical data to show that conspiracy thinking has been increasing for these reasons" nuff said. Nailed? I allways nail them Mr Conrad.

Chazster Joined Tue 08/28/07 Posts: 6206	Sun 04/22/12 09:10 AM
well...as a friend of mine was raped and murdered a few years ago and the cops essentially covered it up by not investigating it properly...i can totally see how conspiracy's happen george carlin on conspiracy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO0-u900OG4 Not investigating properly is not a coverup. It is poor behavior and something I would have taken up with local government.

InvictusV Joined Sun 11/23/08 Posts: 5282	Sun 04/22/12 09:12 AM
All y ou realy need to understand this distorted article above is within the text itself, I qoute from above. "although Melley doesn't present any empirical data to show that conspiracy thinking has been increasing for these reasons" nuff said. You just totally disregard this part: some research by psychologist Jean Twenge is consistent with his hypotheses. Twenge's research examines how Americans' personality traits have been changing over the past several decades. She reviews the results of hundreds of studies published from the 1960s through the end of the century, looking at the personality scores for each year. For example, she finds that trait anxiety (or neuroticism) has been rising dramatically in both children and adults over this period. hahaha

Bestinshow Joined Mon 06/01/09 Posts: 5540	Sun 04/22/12 09:18 AM
All y ou realy need to understand this distorted article above is within the text itself, I qoute from above. "although Melley doesn't present any empirical data to show that conspiracy thinking has been increasing for these reasons" nuff said. You just totally disregard this part: some research by psychologist Jean Twenge is consistent with his hypotheses. Twenge's research examines how Americans' personality traits have been changing over the past several decades. She reviews the results of hundreds of studies published from the 1960s through the end of the century, looking at the personality scores for each year. For example, she finds that trait anxiety (or neuroticism) has been rising dramatically in both children and adults over this period. hahaha Well yes I do because of this statement. "although Melley doesn't present any empirical data to show that conspiracy thinking has been increasing for these reasons" The language is verry simple and easily understood by most thinking adults.

Conrad_73 Joined Sat 09/29/07 Posts: 22488	Sun 04/22/12 09:20 AM
All y ou realy need to understand this distorted article above is within the text itself, I qoute from above. "although Melley doesn't present any empirical data to show that conspiracy thinking has been increasing for these reasons" nuff said. Nailed? I allways nail them Mr Conrad. yep,I can see that! But where are the Boards?