编辑“陰謀論”（章节）

===陰謀論的吸引力===
相信阴谋论的心理动机可分为认识性、存在性和社会性三类。這些動機尤見於弱势和处境不利者。然而阴谋论信念不僅無助解決該些動機，還可能使得支持者自欺欺人，令情況變得更糟<ref name="Douglas 538–542"/><ref name="SciAm2019"/>。比方說，儘管人們可能因無力感而支持陰謀論，但陰謀論同樣會使當事人的自主和控制感下降。此外相信陰謀論亦會使人們失去就現況採取行動的動機<ref name="Douglas 538–542"/><ref name="SciAm2019"/>。

此外現有證據亦證實陰謀論具有其他不良影響<ref name="Douglas 538–542"/>。比如它們會使支持者對所認定的陰謀家更有負面觀感和不信任感——他們認為該些陰謀家因着反社會和憤世嫉俗的動機而行動。可合理預期此將使[[社會異化|異化]]和[[失範]]的程度增加，繼令[[社会资本]]減少。它们也把公众描述成对所谓的阴谋家一无所知、无能为力，社会的重要事項皆由邪恶势力一手决定——这种观点很可能使人更具無力感<ref name="Douglas 538–542"/>。

认同阴谋论者背後有著各種各樣的理由<ref name="GoreisVoracek2019"/>。那些觉得阴谋论很有吸引力的人很多都表現出一種[[社會異化|疏離感]]；不满自己的处境；有着一种非传统的世界观；還有就是感到[[賦權|无能为力]]<ref name="GoreisVoracek2019"/>。虽然人格的各个方面都会影响对阴谋论的易感性，但[[五大人格特质]]當中没有一个跟阴谋论信念有關<ref name="GoreisVoracek2019">{{cite journal |last1=Goreis |first1=Andreas |last2=Voracek |first2=Martin |title=A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Psychological Research on Conspiracy Beliefs: Field Characteristics, Measurement Instruments, and Associations With Personality Traits |journal=Frontiers in Psychology |volume=10 |year=2019 |page=205 |issn=1664-1078 |doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00205|pmid=30853921 |pmc=6396711 }}</ref>。

政治科學家米高·巴爾昆在探討當代美國文化中對於陰謀論的運用時，认为其是用於代指「一種將事件解釋成特別強大而又狡猾的陰謀家為了達到某種邪惡目的，而在背後密謀所致的信念」{{sfn|Barkun|2003|p=3}}<ref name="New Internationalist 1 2004"/>。巴爾昆表示，陰謀論的誘人之處主要有三：

* 「首先，陰謀論宣稱能夠解釋制度分析所不能解釋的事。它們讓這個原本混亂無序的世界看上去十分合理。
* 其次，它們簡單而又吸引地把世界上的勢力二分成[[摩尼教|光明與黑暗]]。它們把所有的罪恶都追溯到一个源头——阴谋家及其代理人。
* 最後，阴谋论往往被說成他人不知道或不了解的[[西方秘契主義|特殊知识]]。对于阴谋论者而言，群众全都被洗脑，阴谋论者则可以庆幸自己识破了陰謀者的骗局。」<ref name="New Internationalist 1 2004"/>

[[美茵茨大学]][[社会心理学]]系教授罗兰·伊姆霍夫（Roland Imhoff）的研究證實了上述三點。研究表明，相信某种觀點的人愈少，对阴谋论者就愈有吸引力<ref>{{cite web |last1=Imhoff |first1=Roland |title=Conspiracy Theorists Just Want to Feel Special |url=https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/9kg8j3/conspiracy-theorists-just-want-to-feel-special |website=motherboard.vice.com |access-date=2018-07-06 |date=2018-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428135251/https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/9kg8j3/conspiracy-theorists-just-want-to-feel-special |archive-date=2019-04-28 |deadurl=no }}</ref>。

[[人本主义心理学|人本主义心理学家]]认为，即使陰謀論當中的陰謀者幾乎都是與己方敵對，但支持者往往能從中找到使人感到一絲安慰的元素。因為他們認為某些人一手策劃事件本身，而該些陰謀者正好控制該些事件的劇本。故此若事件有一個陰謀集團在背後操縱，那麼便有希望使之瓦解，或可以加入它們。相信一个阴谋集团的力量事實上隱含著一種肯定人類尊嚴的主張——在無意識中肯定人類要對自己的行為負責<ref name="Baigent, Leigh & Lincoln 1987">{{cite book|author1=Baigent, Michael |author2=Leigh, Richard |author3=Lincoln, Henry | title = The Messianic Legacy | publisher = Henry Holt & Co | year = 1987 | isbn = 978-0-8050-0568-4}}</ref>。

人們可能會以陰謀論來解釋社會群體中的權力關係，以及黒惡勢力本身{{efn|巴爾昆於2003年寫道：「阴谋论信念的本质在于试图界定和解释邪恶。广义來說，阴谋论认为历史是由集團式的恶魔力量控制……就我们的目的而言，『阴谋论信念』是指认为由個體或多個集團組成的組織曾經或正在秘密行動，以達到某種邪惡的目的。」{{sfn|Barkun|2003|p=3}}}}<ref name="New Internationalist 1 2004">{{cite journal |author= Berlet, Chip |author-link= Chip Berlet |title= Interview: Michael Barkun |year=  2004 |url= http://www.publiceye.org/antisemitism/nw_barkun.html |quote= The issue of conspiracism versus rational criticism is a tough one, and some people (Jodi Dean, for example) argue that the former is simply a variety of the latter. I don't accept this, although I certainly acknowledge that there have been conspiracies. They simply don't have the attributes of almost superhuman power and cunning that conspiracists attribute to them. |access-date= 2009-10-01 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090402214330/http://www.publiceye.org/antisemitism/nw_barkun.html |archive-date=2009-04-02 |deadurl=no }}</ref><ref name="Turkay Nefes"/><ref name="Nefes">{{cite journal|doi=10.1111/j.1467-6443.2012.01434.x | volume=25 | issue=3 | title=The History of the Social Constructions of Dönmes (Converts)* | year=2012 | journal=Journal of Historical Sociology | pages=413–439 | last1 = Nefes | first1 = Türkay S.}}</ref>。研究者還提出了其他陰謀論的心理起源，比如投射；需要以「重大的原因去解釋重大的事件」；各類思想障碍的產物（像是偏执狂倾向），乃至患上了可以經由診斷確定的精神障礙。與將事件視作[[随机性|隨機]]、不可預知、不可解釋地發生相比，一些人更喜歡以社會政治的角度解釋事件，藉此減低不安全感<ref name="business.time.com"/><ref name="Goertzel 1994 733–744">{{cite journal | author = Goertzel | year = 1994 | title = Belief in Conspiracy Theories | doi = 10.2307/3791630 |url= http://www.crab.rutgers.edu/~goertzel/conspire.doc <!--| pages = 733–44--> | pages = 731–742 | access-date =2006-08-07 | jstor = 3791630 | journal = Political Psychology | volume = 15 | issue = 4 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060831210103/http://crab.rutgers.edu/~goertzel/CONSPIRE.doc | archive-date =2006-08-31 | deadurl=no }}</ref><ref name="Douglas 2008 210–222">{{cite journal |first1=Karen |last1=Douglas |first2=Robbie |last2=Sutton |year=2008 |title=The hidden impact of conspiracy theories: Perceived and actual influence of theories surrounding the death of Princess Diana |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_journal-of-social-psychology_2008-04_148_2/page/210 |journal=Journal of Social Psychology |volume=148 |issue=2 |pages=210–22 |doi=10.3200/SOCP.148.2.210-222 |pmid=18512419 }}</ref><ref name="harpers=1964">{{cite book|author=Hofstadter, Richard|year=1965|title=The Paranoid Style in American Politics and Other Essays|location=New York|publisher=Alfred A. Knopf|isbn=978-0-674-65461-7|pages=32–33|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XcLSoljnmBcC&q=0674654617|access-date=2018-10-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418133817/https://books.google.com/books?id=XcLSoljnmBcC&printsec=frontcover&dq=0674654617#v=onepage&q=This%20enemy%20seems%20to%20be%20on%20many%20counts%20a%20projection|archive-date= 2019-04-18|deadurl=no}}</ref><ref name="Hodapp 2008">{{cite book |title=Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies |first=Christopher |last=Hodapp |author2=Alice Von Kannon |publisher=[[約翰威立|John Wiley & Sons]] |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-470-18408-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780470184080 }}</ref><ref name="Cohen"/>。

贝雷特和里昂表示：「陰謀論是一種典型的替罪羊敍事，其将敌人妖魔化，視之為違反公眾利益的大陰謀的一壞，同时将替罪羊奉为敲响警钟的英雄。」<ref>{{cite book
| last = Berlet
| first = Chip
| author-link = Chip Berlet
| author2 = Lyons, Matthew N.
| title = Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort
|url= https://archive.org/details/rightwingpopulis00berlrich
| publisher = Guilford Press
| location = New York
| year = 2000
| isbn = 978-1-57230-562-5
| access-date = 2019-11-09
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191216201705/https://archive.org/details/rightwingpopulis00berlrich
| archive-date =  2019-12-16
| deadurl=no
}}{{page needed|date=September 2011}}</ref>