The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories

Why are we so obsessed with proving nothing is as it seems?

By Alicia Szczesniak

TW: child abuse and sexual abuse

It’s not uncommon for people to go missing in national parks, forests and wilderness areas. Many are eventually found, but an unfortunate amount are not, seemingly disappearing without a trace into thin air. 

Former police investigator and author David Paulides began researching the cases, and could not help but notice certain “unexplainable” details. Since then, he has written several books and produced three documentaries on the topic, which he calls “Missing 411”.

The first of these documentaries focuses on five young children who went missing across the western United States, only one of which was found alive. Interviews with family members and reenactments revealed that there were some seemingly inexplicable circumstances within each case, such as the surviving child found miles away from home in deep snow, despite being only two years old. Others include a three-year-old child’s remains found several hundred feet up a mountain, and a two-year-old child disappearing only feet away from his parents and grandfather. 

And according to Paulides’ work, the phenomenon extends far beyond just young children, with even incredibly experienced hikers and outdoorsmen sometimes disappearing without a trace. 

While many cases are undeniably strange, many also have details pointing to completely explainable circumstances, such as inclement weather or the missing person being last seen near a body of water. 

The public fixation on theories like this draws attention to an ever-present phenomenon: people love conspiracy theories and the unknown. But, why?

It all ties back to the human need to find an explanation for anything that occurs. This is only furthered when a person is presented with something that goes against their beliefs or something they don’t understand, in which they search for a causal link or explanation. This leads to people doing a sort of “mental gymnastics” in order to avoid confronting something unpleasant. 

Within the context of Missing 411, people are searching for meaning in tragedy. The human brain struggles to process death as something that can happen to them or people they care about. In fact, the brain has mechanisms to avoid confronting any existential threats, such as its own mortality. A study from Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel showed that when presented with information regarding death, the brains of the test subjects physically had trouble connecting it to any self-related information. 

Therefore, it is not surprising that many conspiracy theories pop up surrounding unfortunate and untimely deaths. When presented with an untimely, often accidental, death, the human brain begins searching for ways the death could have been prevented. This may then, in some cases, ultimately lead to a person developing some theories as to what may have happened to avoid confronting the fact that their loved one is gone. 

The Mothman legend is another example of this phenomenon. In November 1966, two couples went out for a drive in the woods outside of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. They were passing by former TNT domes from World War II, when they spotted something. They claimed that they were chased in their car at high speeds by a man-sized, bird-like creature with glowing red eyes. 

The creature was dubbed the Mothman, and was spotted several times over the following year by local residents. However, the sightings would come to an abrupt end in December 1967. On December 15, the Silver Bridge, which connected the cities of Gallipolis and Point Pleasant, would collapse into the Ohio River, killing 46 people and injuring several others. 

The Silver Bridge’s collapse was found to be the result of a cleavage fracture in an eyebar, ultimately leading to updated standards of bridge inspection across the country. However, some began to point to the mothman as a harbinger of doom, signalling that a supernatural force would lead to the untimely deaths of the 46 people on the bridge. Whether or not that supernatural force was Mothman itself or something else depends on which believer you ask. 

The town has since rebounded nicely, rallying around the Mothman as a sort of symbol. There’s a Mothman museum, several Mothman-themed stores and restaurants and a yearly festival celebrating the creature. However, the history still remains, and serves as a reminder of both the tragedy and the theories that spawned from it.

But conspiracy theories and a fascination with the unknown are not solely based around avoidance of mortality. They are also a way for humans to confirm their beliefs when information is contrary. 

This has become extremely prevalent in the past few decades. Take the Satanic Panic of the 1980s as an example. In the time leading up to the moral panic, the New Age Movement was taking root. The movement combined several different practices and beliefs, such as astrology, Hare Krishna beliefs, meditation, Eastern Mysticism and Western Occultism. 

Additionally, several new religious groups popped up. Some of these included Hare Krishnas, Wiccans and the Church of Scientology. Alongside religious groups like these popping up, there was a slight but noticeable decline of Christianity in the 1970s and 1980s. 

Alongside this, there was an increase in cult activity in the mid to late 20th century. The Manson Family, People’s Temple and Heaven’s Gate cults led to several murders and suicides. As a result, this sparked a frenzy of fear surrounding cults as a major threat to the populace. 

Then, the panic was officially triggered from the book “Michelle Remembers”, which told the story of a Canadian woman named Michelle Smith, who sought treatment from her psychiatrist after a miscarriage. However, her psychiatrist decided that the issues she brought up reminded him of his time as a missionary in Africa, witnessing certain tribal rituals. This led to him connecting her experiences to repressed memories of ritualistic abuse at the hands of a Satanic cult as a child. 

Her memories were twisted in such a way that allowed her to believe that her mother gave her up to a Satanic cult as a child. She recounted spending 14 months of being locked in cages, suffering physical abuse, witnessing ritualistic sacrifice and much more. While her younger sister, Charyl, would state in the documentary “Satan Wants You” that their childhoods were not easy due to a lot of moving around and a physically abusive father, she never stated that any Satanic activity took place. However, the book was presented as nonfiction. 

The book acted as a spark on the tinder that was the 1980s social landscape. Soon enough, a witch hunt for alleged Satanists commenced. Among the main targets were daycare centers, with the McMartin Preschool becoming the centerpiece of the allegations. 

It all started from a Manhattan Beach, CA mother, Judy Johnson, calling the police to inform them that Ray Buckey, a 25-year-old aide, had sexually abused her two year old son. While the boy could not identify Buckey from the photos, police searched his house and placed him under arrest. The next day a letter was sent out to parents connected with McMartin Preschool informing them that Buckey was being investigated for molestation, and to come forward with any information they had. Soon enough, word of the investigation spread like wildfire, further fueled by Johnson’s bizarre claims that Buckey’s mother and family were involved with Satanic practices, and had forced them onto her son. 

While prosecutors dismissed these claims, Johnson’s allegations were soon echoed by 384 children, who were interviewed, often with a series of leading questions in two hour sessions, and admitted to being molested, witnessing Satanic activity and being taken to secret rooms beneath the school. Despite the fact that the search of the defendants' homes turned up no evidence and no secret rooms were found, seven McMartin Preschool teachers and associates were indicted. 

And the effects were felt everywhere. There were several accusations towards daycare employees of sexual abuse and Satanic behavior, to the point that many were scared to physically touch a child, for fear of it being perceived as abuse. 

While the Satanic Panic of the 1980s was a fascinating historical event, it also showcased just how quick people can be to believe conspiracy theories, particularly when it’s personal. The 1970s and 1980s were a period of heavy societal change, which often becomes a breeding ground for conspiracy theories. 

In fact, a 2018 study found that people who believed that American society’s values were decaying from within had an increased likelihood of developing conspiratorial thinking patterns. This pattern was evident during the Satanic Panic, where people were shifting away from Christianity and towards both New Age practices and atheistic identification. Rather than seeing it as a natural change in ideals, people began to suspect that something different was at play. 

This was also an example of confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is a psychological phenomenon where people are more likely to listen to and believe information that confirms their preexisting beliefs. It’s a neurological shortcut to allow the brain to expend less energy than it needs to by ignoring information that is contrary to its beliefs. The majority Christian population feared Satan and practices that went against their beliefs, and parents feared the worst happening to their children. When the McMartin Preschool trial went fully public, it only reaffirmed each of their fears: that Satan was real, and he was coming for their kids.

This can also be seen in more modern conspiracy theories. Out of the depths of 4Chan leaked the QAnon conspiracy. The theory is based around the posts of a user referred to as “Q”, who were believed to be a group of government and military insiders posting about President Donald Trump’s attempts to eradicate the “Deep State”, a group of high-powered Satan-worshipping pedophiles. They believe that these Satan-worshippers abuse and sacrifice children in order to obtain a life-extending chemical called adrenochrome, which does exist but is not connected to increased longevity.

The followers of the conspiracy also believe that John F. Kennedy’s assassination was faked, the Clintons ran a child sex trafficking ring in Haiti and that there will soon come a day of reckoning known as “The Storm”, which will be when Satan-worshipping elites will be removed from power and sent to Guantanamo Bay for their crimes. The Anti-Defamation League referred to this as a “kitchen sink” approach, as any conspiracy against the current federal government can find a home in the QAnon conspiracy. 

This showcases the need for people to confirm their beliefs as well. When confronted with information about a world they don’t like, a narrative is constructed around it in order to avoid facing information that does not align with their beliefs. However, when a person’s beliefs are unsubstantiated, conspiracy theories can form to fill the void, insisting that counterinformation is being pushed by powerful groups and the truth is being covered up. 

Conspiracy theories can range from something as serious as the Satanic Panic or as silly as believing Finland isn’t real. Some have even come true, such as Operation Northwoods, which was a false flag operation to increase U.S. support for an invasion of Cuba by causing terror attacks and blaming them on the island nation. 

However, when confronted with a conspiracy theory, be it reasonable or completely outlandish, take a step back to evaluate what you’re hearing. Confirmation bias and a lack of acceptance of tragedy and truth have spawned countless conspiracy theories in the past and in the present. But, when you start to feel yourself think that there’s some grand scheme behind a tragedy or that something just isn’t what it seems, ask yourself: “Is this actually true? Or is my mind playing tricks on me?”

Wanna chat? Email Alicia at as589820@ohio.edu, or follow her on Instagram @alicia_szcz