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devoir sur les theories du complot en anglais LLCE AMC What can explain the development of conspiracy theories?

Publié le 12/05/2024

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« Part 1: What can explain the development of conspiracy theories? Conspiracy theories, ranging from claims about fake moon landings to believing in a flat Earth, have made their paths through the world and have developed and adapted new ways of communication.

The theme is presented by 3 documents, document 1 is about the beliefs of these theories and their consequences, document 2 is about the understanding of these theories, and document 3 is about their purposes and their effects.

But why do more and more people believe in them? To understand why they develop, we need to know the reasons behind them, rather it be socially, psychologically and historically.

In this context, we will be discussing more about the psychological reasons behind conspiracy theories. To start with, we will be talking about what conspiracy theories are, why and how they begin. Conspiracy theories are explanations that attribute particular events by individuals or groups, often arising from the desire for understanding and certainty.

They emerge as our brains want to have more information by seeking patterns or creating explanations, even when none exist, in response to fear and uncertainty.

This phenomenon, known as “Illusory pattern perception”, fuels the proliferation of conspiracy theories, increasing the feeling of anxiety and helplessness.

(CBC on YouTube). Such theories often arise from boredom, concern, suspicion or a search for answers. For example, reading one article on a topic might spark the need or want to know more information, without knowing if it is true or not.

But many conspiracy theories come and go with time.

However, many of these theories are transient, as seen with the flat Earth belief, which gained traction on platforms like YouTube but waned when the platform reduced the number of recommendations for such content. As document 1 states “people are drawn to conspiracy theories in order to satisfy 3 important psychological motives”.

The first, the “epistemic motive” stems from the natural desire for an explanation and truth, tends to draw those with lower levels of education simply because they don’t verify credible sources.

The second motive, would be the “existential motive” where people don’t like to feel powerless or disillusioned and have “the need to be or feel safe and secure in the world they live in”.

The last psychological motive that Mrs.

Douglas stated is the “social motive”, which drives individuals to seek validation and belonging with groups who have the same belief, often tends to be people with high self-esteem, with a sense of superiority and exclusivity amongst believers.

More believers tie their conspiracy to 2 Modèle de copie Word their own social identity and create a self-sustaining.... »

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