Conspiracy theories have been treated mostly as a homogeneous phenomenon in empirical research. However, to fully understand their causes and consequences, a multifaceted approach to conspiracy theories would be useful. Here, we propose an organizational framework with three facets (groups, ideology, and status) to conceptualize conspiracy theories. Based on a review of recent research, the current contribution highlights the psychological differences between (a) perceived conspiracies within or outside of one’s valued community; (b) ideological versus nonideological conspiracy beliefs, based on whether conspiracy beliefs are directly relevant for people’s core values; and (c) upward versus downward conspiracy beliefs, that is, whether the perceived conspiracy involves a relatively high- or low-status group. Finally, we discuss some distinct consequences of these facets in affecting societally consequential behaviors, such as collective action, protest, hostility, or polarization.

中文翻译：

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阴谋论：群体、意识形态和地位是社会表达的三个不同基础


在实证研究中，阴谋论主要被视为一种同质现象。然而，要充分理解它们的原因和后果，对阴谋论采取多方面的方法将是有用的。在这里，我们提出了一个具有三个方面（群体、意识形态和地位）的组织框架来概念化阴谋论。根据对最近研究的回顾，目前的贡献强调了 （a） 在一个有价值的社区内部或外部感知到的阴谋论;（b） 意识形态与非意识形态阴谋论信念，基于阴谋论信念是否与人们的核心价值观直接相关;以及 （c） 向上与向下的阴谋信念，即感知到的阴谋是否涉及地位相对较高或较低的群体。最后，我们讨论了这些方面在影响社会后果行为方面的一些不同后果，例如集体行动、抗议、敌意或两极分化。