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They aren’t very bright or educated and lack critical thinking skills. They compensate for this by believing conspiracy theories because it makes them feel smarter and like they have a higher knowledge than others.
I wouldn't go so far to call someone who believed in a conspiracy theory to be mentally ill.
A conspiracy theory can be a healthy suspicion of a cover-up or gaslighting. There have been too many incidents that were originally scoffed at for being a conspiracy theory but were later proven to be true.
A conspiracy theory can be a healthy suspicion of a cover-up or gaslighting. There have been too many incidents that were originally scoffed at for being a conspiracy theory but were later proven to be true.
Years ago I dealt with a person devoted to listening to late night radio, and who believed in some sort of one world government conspiracy theory. I can’t remember many details, but that person was convinced, absolutely, about it. Honestly, that person seemed unstable and “off” to me. I wondered if lack of sleep was part of the problem.
Sounds like a fan of Art Bell. He was a radio host who believed in endless conspiracies. He was also articulate and smart so lots of people just believed whatever he said. Art Bell even quit his radio show because he was certain Y2K was going to be the end of civilization. That was a bad move. I am sure he drew in listeners who were mentally ill but most I believe were just gullible. I have a friend who was a big fan simply because he was a insomniac. Back in the day (1980's) I would drive late Friday night to Vegas and all the talk radio options were Larry King and Art Bell. Art was more colorful so I would sometimes tune it.
I think a lot of mentally ill people believe in conspiracies. But not all people who believe in conspiracies are mentally ill.
It's not mental illness, per se, but conspiracy theories are attractive to the kind of people who like to think of themselves as more intelligent than everyone else. They can see the truth about the situation, unlike the sheep who just believe what they're told. As mentioned above, this can involve a lot more magical thinking than critical thinking.
A couple of weeks ago I was browsing around Twitter and Tom Hanks posted something about a friend who died. I went to his page and it was full of accusations from a bunch of conspiracy theorists convinced of his involvement with a child pornography ring and Jeffrey Epstein, etc. etc. Tom Hanks? Really?
Insane? No! Boring if that is all you can lead any conversation to, though.
It seems transparent that the adrenaline rush one gets, and thus needs, thinking about and discussing these
theories, deliberately replacing 'normal' interaction and loving conversation with your friends and family....
is 'not so great'.
Obsessions of any kind are not the best thing. (Unless your neighbor really is throwing poison over the
fence for your dog...and putting nails under your tires.)
But, insane? No.
The need for the rush is interesting...why doesn't the normal growing of tomato
plants, the occasional Sci Fi movie, BBQ, an artistic project and book satisfy the person?
The conspiracy theorist is typically of a higher IQ, imo....that alone causes trouble! LO!!!!
They need more to occupy their brains.
They should turn to sex. Kidding.
I just want to clarify something here. Perhaps the OP could respond. My understanding of the topic was a more general question about "mentally ill" as a broad category, but not outright insanity. There are many forms/categories of mental illness, a couple of which I mentioned earlier. Personality disorders are a category of mental illness, that fall short of insanity, and in most cases don't prevent people from functioning adequately in jobs or socially, for example, .
So now, after this post, I'm wondering what the OP really intended to ask.
I'd say the "mentally ill" are the ones who blindly trust the media/government without hesitation or question.
At least you're thinking for yourself. That's a huge positive, in my book.
People who follow voices in their head, or who see visions that lead them to set up cults, are also "thinking for themselves". There were Christian cults in the early days of Christianity, that mandated celibacy, so as to avoid bringing more suffering beings into the world, but sex with children wasn't defined as "sex", because it didn't result in creating progeny. "Thinking for yourself" can run amok. Was Joan of Arc mentally ill or a gifted leader and saint? We need some parameters around this "thinking for yourself" business before giving it a blanket thumbs-up.
I believe some folks may be mentally ill who believe in every outlandish conspiracy theory out there. I don't like to label folks since I myself suffer from a mental illness and it can be a stigma. But these folks don't seem to realize they are ill. With that said, just believing in conspiracies does not make you mentally ill. I have read up on the JFK assassination. I used to have 30 books on his murder and believed it was a conspiracy. I also read up on Roswell. Reading up on these theories (or watching shows about them) is tantalizing and entertaining. Two of my favorite TV shows of alll time were the X Files and Person of Interest, both of which centered around the good guys trying to find out the conspiracies about things.
Now my problem is when folks thing every single thing in life is a result of conspiracy and they can always point the finger at their perceived enemies. Covid-19 i a world wide conspiracy to bring President Trump down. People who believe is the more outlandish of conspiracy theories think they are smarter than the rest of us. We are just blind sheep while they see the truths of the universe. They feel superior to us and I think in many cases this is the leading cause for their whacked out believes. We're morons, but they are super intelligent.
On the other hand, Watergate was by all definitions a conspiracy and it was no theory. Conspiracies are a real thing.
Please start a new thread about conspiracies you know of
I dont readily believe the obvious version of things. Its just a different frame of mind. For eg, take any terrorist attacks - i beliee they are used to marshall public opinion in their favor ( Although I dont believe Saudis can pilot multiple planes and bang them precisely into a building )
It is OK to be skeptical. But secrets tend to leak out. The same press that you do not trust, will publish leaks and new versions of official stories. The Nixon conspiracy is a good example. The conspiracy could not withstand continual investigation. And some participants leaked or turned informants.
But automatically believing the opposite of every current event is nihilism.
I mistrust the results of the covid-19 diagnostic tests, because it produces so many positives for asymptomatic people. I suspect, but do not know, that the test is faulty. If the test is faulty, I don’t believe it is because its production is part of a conspiracy.
Not every bad thing is the product of a secret conspiracy.
There is plenty of evidence that conspirators did coordinate and commandeer commercial airplanes on 9/11/01. And I know of no reason to disbelieve this.
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Kidding.
