The emotional roots of conspiratorial perceptions, system justification, and belief in the paranormal

Whitson, Jennifer A.; Galinsky, Adam D.; Kay, Aaron

doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2014.09.002

Cited by 156Social and Intergroup PsychologyMisinformation and Its ImpactsDeath Anxiety and Social Exclusion

The emotional roots of conspiratorial perceptions, system justification, and belief in the paranormal

Whitson, Jennifer A., Galinsky, Adam D., Kay, Aaron·2015·Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

DOI 10.1016/j.jesp.2014.09.002

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Psychological models (uncertainty-identity theory, meaning maintenance model, compensatory control theory) elaborate how the defensive need to alleviate uncertainty leads to group identification, ideological inflexibility, and dogmatism.
“Psychological models, such as the uncertainty-identity theory [156], meaning maintenance model [157], and compensatory control theory [158,159], have elaborated on how the defensive need to alleviate uncertainty leads to group identification, ideological inflexibility, and dogmatism.”
From Impact of Media-Induced Uncertainty on Mental Health: Narrative-Based Perspective. (2025) · cites this paper as [158]

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Authors: Whitson, J. A., Galinsky, A. D., & Kay, A.
Affiliations: The University of Texas at Austin (US)
Columbia University (US)
Duke University (US)
Corresponding author: Whitson, Jennifer A.
ORCID: Whitson, Jennifer A.
Galinsky, Adam D.
Kay, Aaron
Venue: Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2015-01
Volume: 56
Pages: 89-95
ISSN: 0022-1031 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2014.09.002
OpenAlex: W1970798276
Cited by: 156
References: 63
Citations by year: 2026: 9 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 42 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 7
FWCI: 29.31
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations: Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
Keywords: conspiracy beliefs, system justification, supernatural beliefs, emotional valence, need for structure, self-affirmation, compensatory control, fear, surprise, hope

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