A team of three researchers of the University of Kent, the Polish Academy of Sciences and the University of Cambridge stated that he found out why i narcissists they are more likely to believe conspiracy theories than other people without this disorder. In their search, Aleksandra Cichocka, Marta Marchlewska and Mikey Biddlestone they described the characteristics of people with narcissistic traits who are more likely to get involved in conspiracy theories.
The results of the study have been published in the scientific journal Current Opinion in Psychology.
Narcissists: that’s why they believe in conspiracies
As the pandemic from Covid19 and the diatribes of the world of politics in many countries of the world, conspiracy theories have become a topic of conversation by now daily. Conspiracy thinking is nothing new, of course, what has changed is the ease with which it spreads via social media. In recent years, numerous studies have shown that narcissists are more likely to believe conspiracy theories. In this new study, the team of researchers tried to explain what reason there might be behind this bias.
Narcissists, as described by the psychological community, have beliefs about their own superiority and right that place them above normal people. Previous research has also shown that people with narcissism tend to have three specific traits: neuroticism, antagonism, and agent extroversion. And it’s these three traits, the researchers argue, that make narcissists so susceptible to conspiracy theories.
Neuroticism is generally defined as a tendency to react emotionally and irrationally to information: previous research has suggested that it is often related to feelings of low self-esteem, relationship difficulties, and shame. It has also been linked to paranoia.
Antagonism is aggression towards others and their opinions, usually as a means of gaining or maintaining control over events or other people. Agent extroversion describes aggressive or assertive behavior. It tends to indulge self-confidence and very often the ability to fascinate.
Researchers suggest that paranoia can lead to openness regarding conspiracy theories and that the need to stay in control during times of uncertainty, such as a pandemic, can lead narcissists to pick up outrageous claims to feel like they are still in control. of their lives. And antagonism comes to the fore when others contest their views on conspiracy theories, which only serves to bolster their support for them.
Nicola Ghezzani, is a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist and psychotherapy trainer. He is the founder and President of SIPSID (Italian Society of Dialectical Psychology) with respect to narcissists, he said: “Narcissism is a pathological character structure. It has different shades, from simple but insistent vanity, which hides enormous insecurity, to sadistic and destructive cruelty ”.
“It is the dominant character in the contemporary world, in which appearance matters more than being, the artificial image more than authentic life, envy more than loyalty. envy, in particular, is the dominant sentiment today, because everyone looks at what the other has or is and, if he believes he cannot reach it, he desires its destruction. In this social reality everyone becomes the rival and competitor of the other, and any argument is good to win the game. We observe it in the increasingly frequent conflicts on social media and the media, where disloyalty dominates and no blows are spared “.
“For some authors, narcissism is a vital force common to all, which pushes us to love and mature and which only in some cases becomes pathological. On the other hand, I think it is always pathological, and I reserve the term “individuation” for the strength that drives us to love ourselves and to mature. So in the sick person on the one hand there is masochism, on the other hand there is narcissism; in the healthy person there is love on the one hand, and individuation on the other“.
V.ittory Lingiardi, Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Full Professor and Director of the Specialization Course in Clinical Psychology at the Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, compared to narcissists, he added: “There are many different pathologies of narcissism. Millon, for example, talks about narcissistic personalities “unscrupulous”, “passionate”, “compensatory”, “elitist”, “fanatic”. Not to mention the now classic distinction that Gabbard makes (but takes it from Rosenfeld), of narcissism overt And covert. Or better, grandeur-exhibitionism vs vulnerability-sensitivity “.
“In short, summarizing the clinical significance of this diagnosis in a few words is not easy, but I try. I would say that individuals with narcissistic personalitiesthey have a great idea of themselves, a constant need for admiration and very little empathy. Any of us know what this means in the context of a relationship, emotional but also simply professional. Narcissists think they are different and better than others and that they can afford to have or do special things that others cannot afford. Indeed, they think they are entitled to it ”.
“They can be dismissive and critical of others, and have little sensitivity to the suffering of others. I remember a patient who in sessions spoke to me with anger and resentment about a friend who had warned him at the last moment that he could not go to the cinema with him. Shortly after he told me the reason for this missed appointment: his friend’s mother had been rushed to the emergency room ”.
Another important theme in working with narcissistic personalities is their difficulty in deriving pleasure from things, and the consequent feelings of sadness, indifference and boredom. And then there is the covert side: fragility, vulnerability, fear of confrontation, hypersensitivity to criticism. Often the two faces coexist, but I have seen many narcissists also excel in one of the two dimensions ”.
#Narcissists #conspiracy #theories