People hold various beliefs for various reasons. One particularly alluring piece of conspiracy beliefs is that they often contain “secret knowledge” or an extra level of understanding that other people do not have. Put simply, conspiracy beliefs are a free way to express uniqueness and set oneself apart from the rest of the world.
This need for uniqueness can lead to a cycle of deepening beliefs. If someone accepts a belief in order to be unique, and that belief later becomes more popular, the believer may seek out more and more esoteric and unique beliefs. We can see this expansion in practice with the Qanon conspiracy theory of the late 2010s.
Early Qanon beliefs were already deeply conspiratorial. Democrat leaders were secretly abusing children and harvesting adrenochrome from them. Exposure would happen in the near future and the entire cabal would fall in “the storm”.
As Qanon grew more popular, deeper and more subtle conspiracy beliefs were developed for those seeking to remain on the cutting edge of the conspiracy. New names were added to the list of evil-doers. New super-technology like med-beds were supposedly created and hidden away. The alleged conspirators went from harming children and engaging in satanic activities to rigging and stealing the 2020 election. Put simply, Qanon served as the introduction for many people into the world of conspiracy thinking, and as others joined that crowd, some needed to delve deeper in order to remain unique.
So what can we do for and with people who believe in conspiracy theories as a means to be unique? Quite simply, I argue that we should help them see themselves as unique aside from their beliefs. By noting unique skills, non-conspiracy knowledge, and other facets of their personality, we may be able to help people see they do not need to know what “they” are up to in order to add their uniqueness to the world.
Likewise, we can address and appreciate the conspiracy beliefs as something the person cares about, even if we do not share it. This does not mean we must validate or encourage their beliefs, but if we dismiss them and act as if they are simply unhinged and wrong, then we risk alienating the believer and pushing them deeper into conspiracy theory bubbles.
This is a delicate balancing act. We do not want to be dismissive, and we also do not want to appear as if we share the belief. This second point is especially notable when the belief is problematic or based in bigotry. We may be tempted to discredit or dismiss people because their beliefs include hateful or bigoted messages. To repurpose my own evangelical upbringing: We can love the sinner and hate the sin. In this case, that means accepting the person and all of the unique parts of their personality, while still challenging beliefs they hold that are troublesome.
Ultimately, the need for uniqueness is a deeply situated facet of personality that may lead some people to engage in conspiracy thinking and hold conspiracy beliefs. By supporting that need while nudging the believer towards more evidence-based beliefs and ideas, we can perhaps help them be a bit less wrong, and also learn some interesting things about how we interact with others as well.
References:
Lantian, A., Muller, D., Nurra, C., & Douglas, K. M. (2017). “I know things they don’t know!” The role of need for uniqueness in belief in conspiracy theories. Social Psychology, 48(3), 160-173. doi: 10.1027/1864-9335/a000306