The seduction of conspiracy theories

People who feel powerless tend to gravitate towards conspiracy theories or false causalities to avoid blame for their predicament. This gets into the idea of neurotic suffering. Suffering the distress of an illusion rather than the true distress of my life.

[Those] vulnerable to conspiracy theories often over estimate the likelihood of co-occurring events, and will attribute nefarious and supernatural intentionality to things... [resulting in] simplistic explanations for very complicated events.

— The seduction of conspiracy theories, This Jungian Life podcast

I've always had a strong distaste for conspiracy theories. In this era where conspiracy theories corrupt the truth more than ever, that feeling has only intensified. I've often thought about why certain people often seem to buy into them, and what combination of conditions favor their spread. I've been loving this podcast, which is hosted by three Jungian analysts, and this episode on conspiracy theories is absolutely ripe with insights.

Related recommended read: Conspiracies are the new fashion.