Die Psychologie der Verschwörungstheorien

What is a conspiracy theory? Who believes in them and why? What consequences arise from this for society, politics, health, and social media? This volume examines the phenomenon of conspiracy belief from various psychological perspectives and places these in an interdisciplinary discourse. Readers gain an overview of current research on conspiracy narratives, including the important contradictions, disagreements, and debates.

The first part of the volume highlights the cognitive foundations of conspiracy theories and the influence of cognitive biases. It explores how a conspiratorial worldview can develop over the course of a person's life. Additionally, the role of conspiracy belief in political discourse, social media, and personal health behavior is discussed. The possibilities and limitations of interventions against conspiracy belief are also addressed. In the second part of the volume, these psychological perspectives are brought into productive friction with other disciplines. Contributions from philosophy, history, linguistics, and communication studies critically illuminate the psychological considerations or reflect on the limitations of psychological methods. The volume concludes with a contribution on worldview counseling for conspiracy believers and their relatives. It avoids hasty simplifications and aims to understand the phenomenon of conspiracy belief in all its nuances, neither falling into the trap of condemning conspiracy belief and its consequences a priori nor downplaying it.