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Cited by 337Misinformation and Its ImpactsSocial and Intergroup PsychologyTerrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

Social psychological origins of conspiracy theories: the case of the Jewish conspiracy theory in Malaysia

Open access
Swami, Viren·2012·Frontiers in Psychology
DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00280PMC PMC3412387
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Abstract

Two studies examined correlates of belief in a Jewish conspiracy theory among Malays in Malaysia, a culture in which state-directed conspiracism as a means of dealing with perceived external and internal threats is widespread. In Study 1, 368 participants from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, completed a novel measure of belief in a Jewish conspiracy theory, along with measures of general conspiracist ideation, and anomie. Initial analysis showed that the novel scale factorially reduced to a single dimension. Further analysis showed that belief in the Jewish conspiracy theory was only significantly associated with general conspiracist ideation, but the strength of the association was weak. In Study 2, 314 participants completed the measure of belief in the Jewish conspiracy theory, along with measures of general conspiracist ideation, and ideological attitudes. Results showed that belief in the Jewish conspiracy theory was associated with anti-Israeli attitudes, modern racism directed at the Chinese, right-wing authoritarianism, and social dominance orientation. General conspiracist ideation did not emerge as a significant predictor once other variables had been accounted for. These results suggest that there may be specific cultural and social psychological forces that drive belief in the Jewish conspiracy theory within the Malaysian context. Specifically, belief in the Jewish conspiracy theory among Malaysian Malays appears to serve ideological needs and as a mask for anti-Chinese sentiment, which may in turn reaffirm their perceived ability to shape socio-political processes.

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Research works printed but not linked: 9

  1. Barkun M. (2003). A Culture of Conspiracy. Berkley, CA: University of California Press
  2. Bowen J. R. (2006). “Anti-Americanism as schemas and diacritics across Indonesia and France,” in Anti-Americanisms in World Politics, eds Katzenstein P. Keohane R. (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press), 227– 250
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  5. Groh D. (1987). “The temptation of conspiracy theory, or: why do bad things happen to good people?” in Changing Conceptions of Conspiracy, eds Graumann C. F. Moscovici S. (New York, NY: Springer-Verlag), 1– 37
  6. Kline P. (1986). Handbook of Test Construction. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul
  7. Robins R. S. Post J. M. (1997). Political Paranoia. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press
  8. Rosenberg M. (1965). Society and the Adolescent Child. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press
  9. Suciu E. M. (2008). Signs of Anti-Semitism in Indonesia. Degree thesis, Department of Asian Studies, The University of Sydney, Sydney

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Authors
Swami, V.
Affiliations
HELP University (MY)
Corresponding author
Swami, Viren
ORCID
Swami, Viren
Venue
Frontiers in Psychology
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2012
Volume
3
Pages
280-280
ISSN
1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00280
PMC
PMC3412387
OpenAlex
W1992868680
Cited by
337
References
76
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 29 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 49 · 2021: 53 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 48 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 1
FWCI
41.14
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • WestminsterResearch (University of Westminster) (acceptedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
Keywords
Jewish conspiracy theories, conspiracy beliefs, conspiracist ideation, anti-Chinese racism, right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, ideological attitudes, anomie, scale development

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