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Eerie Theories: The Psychology Behind Conspiracy

A man wearing a QAnon sweatshirt stands off against US Capitol police officers as they try to stop pro-Trump insurrectionists from entering the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
A man wearing a QAnon sweatshirt stands off against US Capitol police officers as they try to stop pro-Trump insurrectionists from entering the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Conspiracy theorists have enjoyed the Trump presidency. Wild false notions about the deaths of high-profile American figures and what was really going on behind closed doors in Washington and Hollywood took over certain sections of the internet.

But the link between online conspiracy theories and real-life behavior has clarified as conspiracy theorists like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) began running for elected office. And as President Trump, along with his associates and supporters, began questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 election despite no evidence of fraud.

Find our conversation about how Qanon supporters hijacked #SaveTheChildren.

It all came to a head when insurrectionists, who believed the president’s lie that the election had been stolen, stormed the Capitol building while Congress was certifying the electoral votes for the 2020 election.

Why are conspiracy theories so enticing? And how can we combat conspiratorial thinking?

Copyright 2021 WAMU 88.5

Amanda Williams