scholarly journals The role of self-evaluation in predicting attitudes toward supporters of COVID-19-related conspiracy theories: A direct and a conceptual replication of Cichoka et al. (2016)

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 183449092110525
Author(s):  
Birte Siem ◽  
Benedikt Kretzmeyer, ◽  
Stefan Stürmer
Keyword(s):  
Self Esteem ◽  
Original Study ◽  
Total N ◽  
Specific Criterion ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Different Sources

We examined the role of people’s self-evaluation in predicting their attitudes toward supporters of COVID-19-related conspiracy theories by replicating and extending the findings of a study by Cichocka et al. (2016, Study 3) in two preregistered studies (total N = 1179). Study 1, a direct replication, confirmed that narcissism and self-esteem—two different sources of people’s self-evaluation—differentially predicted their beliefs in a series of well-known conspiracy theories (not related to COVID-19), and served as mutual suppressor variables. Specifically, narcissism was positively related and self-esteem was negatively related to conspiracy beliefs, especially when the respective other predictor was controlled for. Study 2 extended Cichocka’s and our Study 1’s findings by testing the differential role of self-esteem and narcissism in predicting a COVID-19-specific criterion. Specifically, we focused on people’s rejection of supporters of COVID-19 conspiracy theories, a criterion we deem particularly important in curtailing the spread of these theories. Results were generally in line with previous findings, but effects were substantially weaker. As suggested by exploratory analyses, this might be due to the fact that the overall rejection of supporters measure comprises not only items capturing rejection of supporters but also items capturing low beliefs in conspiracy theories. These two distinct components differentially related to self-esteem and narcissism: the differential role of self-esteem and narcissism could only be replicated for the “low belief” subcomponent (thus replicating findings from the original study and from Study 1) but not for the “rejection of supporters” subcomponent. The present work thus contributes to recent research suggesting that low belief in conspiracy theories and the rejection of their supporters might be qualitatively different responses with unique antecedents.

Makeup and its application simulation affect women’s self-perceptions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaroslava Varella Valentova ◽  
Anthonieta Looman Mafra ◽  
Natália Machado ◽  
Marco Antonio Correa Varella
Keyword(s):  
Self Esteem ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
The Real ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Appearance Satisfaction ◽  
Self Assessments

Appearance modification is ancient, universal, and influences other- and selfperceptions. The role of expectation of appearance modification has never beeninvestigated. We analyzed self-assessments of women without makeup and after having makeup professionally applied at four increasing levels. In the simulation phase,women were treated with colorless cosmetics. Fifty Brazilian women (Mage = 24.26) rated themselves on attractiveness, health, self-esteem, femininity, satisfaction withappearance, age, dominance, confidence, and competence in all experimental conditions. Women in the simulation phase considered themselves more feminine,healthier, and with higher self-esteem than without makeup. In the real makeup phases, these ratings were higher than in simulation phase. Appearance satisfaction and attractiveness did not differ between simulation and the real makeup phases, both being higher than without makeup. Confidence increased only in real makeup phases, and there was no effect on competence. Thus, real appearance modification and/or an expectation thereof can differently affect specific domains of self-evaluation.

Dilemmas of Distrust: Conspiracy Beliefs, Elite Rhetoric, and Motivated Reasoning

2021 ◽  
pp. 106591292110345
Author(s):  
Scott Radnitz
Keyword(s):  
Relative Weight ◽  
State Level ◽  
Motivated Reasoning ◽  
Political Rhetoric ◽  
Survey Experiment ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
The Individual

Conspiracy theories are playing an increasingly prominent role worldwide in both political rhetoric and popular belief. Previous research has emphasized the individual-level factors behind conspiracy belief but paid less attention to the role of elite framing, while focusing mostly on domestic political contexts. This study assesses the relative weight of official conspiracy claims and motivated biases in producing conspiracy beliefs, in two countries where identities other than partisanship are salient: Georgia and Kazakhstan. I report the results of a survey experiment that depicts a possible conspiracy and varies the content of official claims and relevant contextual details. The results show that motivated reasoning stemming from state-level geopolitical identities is strongly associated with higher conspiracy belief, whereas official claims have little effect on people’s perceptions of conspiracy. Respondents who exhibit higher conspiracy ideation are more likely to perceive a conspiracy but do not weight motivated biases or official claims differently from people with lower conspiratorial predispositions. The findings indicate the importance of (geopolitical) identities in shaping conspiracy beliefs and highlight some of the constraints facing elites who seek to benefit from the use of conspiracy claims.

scholarly journals Role of Conspiracy Mentality and Paranormal Beliefs in Predicting Conspiracy Beliefs Among Neopagans

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-97
Author(s):  
Asbjørn Dyrendal ◽  
Leif Kennair ◽  
James Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Political Identity ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Single Item ◽  
Political Identification ◽  
Gender And Education ◽  
Paranormal Beliefs ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Conspiracy Thinking

Recent studies on conspiracy thinking has concluded that the strongest predictor of the tendency towards conspiratorial thinking is a one-dimensional construct-conspiracy mentality-that is relatively stable over time and valid across cultures. Lantian et al. (2016) found that a single, elaborate question can work as a measure of conspiracy beliefs. We assess the validity of this question for an untypical, religious group: self-identified Neopagans. We also test some recent findings on the relation between conspiracy thinking and paranormal beliefs, attitudes towards group equality, political identification, age, gender, and education. The general patterns hold up well in our investigation, but there was a clear distinction between conspiracy theories about powerful actors and those about minorities. The single-item measure was the largest predictor of the former kind of conspiracy belief followed by level of paranormal beliefs. Anti-egalitarianism and holding a right-wing political identity were the strongest predictors of conspiracy beliefs about minorities. Education was negatively related to conspiracy beliefs of all kinds.

Rationality in Conspiracy Beliefs: The Role of Perceived Motive

2013 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Preston R. Bost ◽  
Stephen G. Prunier
Keyword(s):  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs

Previous work has raised the possibility that the perception of motive may contribute to conspiracy beliefs. The current study tested the prediction that conspiracy beliefs will strengthen as the apparent motive of the alleged conspirators strengthens. Participants ( N = 57) rated the plausibility of fictional conspiracy theories, manipulated for the strength of direct evidence for the conspiracy and the type of outcome (gain vs. no gain) experienced by the alleged conspirators after the event. Ratings revealed that participants were more likely to believe conspiracy claims not only if the evidence was strong but also if the apparent motive was high, and that the effect of apparent motive was independent of the strength of the evidence. The findings suggested that information about apparent motive may help create and sustain conspiracy beliefs.

scholarly journals What drives beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories? The role of psychotic-like experiences and confinement-related factors

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simão Pedro Rodrigues Ferreira ◽  
Carlos Campos ◽  
Beatriz Monteiro Marinho ◽  
Susana Rocha ◽  
Eduardo Fonseca-Pedrero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Economy ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Effective Dissemination ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs

The COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide threat to public health and the global economy. The climate of fear and uncertainty associated with the pandemic has fostered the emergence of a wide-range of COVID-19 conspiracy theories that has the potential do shape public opinion and hinder the effective dissemination of valid information. Beliefs in conspiracy theories has been associated with maladaptive personality traits such as schizotypy and paranoia, as well as other non-psychotic psychological characteristics (e.g., social isolation, stress). The current study aimed to examine the association between beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories and psychotic-like experiences within the community, while also addressing the role of sociodemographic information, psychological outcomes (e.g., stress, affective states) and other pandemic-related factors (e.g., confinement conditions/behaviors). Our results suggest that psychotic-like experiences are associated with beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories, particularly perceptual abnormalities and persecutory ideation. Moreover, increased health-related concerns and reduced education levels also seem to be liability factors for these conspiracy beliefs. These results add important insights into how the adherence to illogical and erroneous disease-related arguments may be contingent to proneness to psychotic-like experiences. COVID-19 conspiracy theories are yet another major challenge that governments and policy makers must contemplate when defining strategic directions to manage the current and future pandemics.

The Burden of Being Certain: National Identity Certainty Predicts Support for COVID-Related Draconian Measures and Outgroup Conspiracy Beliefs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaiyuan Chen ◽  
Jinghui Zhang ◽  
Xiang Ao ◽  
Jeffrey Ramdass
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Total N ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Beliefs And Attitudes

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced various controversies. Some people debate about the usage of “draconian” measures of social distancing (e.g., lockdown). Others concern the origin of the pandemic with some buying conspiracy theories that attribute the cause of COVID-19 to the plot of some powerful outgroups. The current research examined national identity certainty (i.e., the certainty people placed in national identity) as predictor of these beliefs and attitudes. Two studies (total N = 625), one longitudinal and one cross-sectional, revealed that individual differences in national identity certainty predicted increased support of draconian measures and increased outgroup conspiracy beliefs. Moreover, realistic (but not symbolic) threat accounted for the increased support for draconian measures. Symbolic (but not realistic) threat accounted for the increased outgroup conspiracy beliefs. Our findings highlight how national identity certainty constrains individuals’ beliefs and attitudes towards issues related to the pandemic.

Vulnerability, self-uncertainty, and collective narcissism mediate the relationship between ostracism and conspiracy beliefs: Α representative sample study during the first wave of the pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theofilos Gkinopoulos ◽  
Mete Sefa Uysal
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
The Self ◽  
Societal Implications ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Moderating Role

A correlational study (N=895) examined the association between ostracism and endorsement of COVID-19 conspiracy theories, the mediating role of sense of vulnerability, self-uncertainty and collective narcissism and the moderating role of conspiracy mentality. We found that ostracism positively predicted endorsement of COVID-19 conspiracy theories and this association was mediated by sense of vulnerability, self-uncertainty and collective narcissism. Conspiracy mentality moderated the relationship between ostracism with the sense of vulnerability, but not the self-uncertainty nor of the collective narcissism. Our study expands on the still very few and scarce research on ostracism and conspiracy theories, by confirming their relationship in the context of the pandemic, as well as exploring further interrelationships, responding to the recent calls for investigating the mediating role of both individual and group-level variables. Theoretical and societal implications are discussed. Results offer a novel insight in the relationship between ostracism and conspiracy theories focused on COVID-19, advancing our current knowledge and developing their relationship even further.

Self-esteem and transformational leadership

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 815-831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt Matzler ◽  
Florian Andreas Bauer ◽  
Todd A. Mooradian
Keyword(s):  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Leadership Behavior ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Evaluation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether transformational leadership behavior is a function of the leader’s own self-respect and his/her evaluation of being capable, significant, and worthy (self-esteem). It is also tested whether transformational leadership is related to innovation success. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 411 entrepreneurs and managing directors of small- and medium-sized Austrian companies. The proposed hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (PLS). Findings – A strong and significant relationship between self-esteem and transformational leadership was found. Furthermore, data analyses revealed that transformational leadership has a positive impact on innovation success. Originality/value – This study reveals the important but heretofore neglected role of self-esteem, defined as a manager’s overall self-evaluation of his/her competences, as an important predictor of transformational leadership.

scholarly journals Stand out of my Sunlight: The Mediating Role of Climate Change Conspiracy Beliefs in the Relationship between National Collective Narcissism and Acceptance of Climate Science

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Bertin ◽  
Kenzo Nera ◽  
Katarzyna Hamer ◽  
Isabella Uhl-Haedicke ◽  
Sylvain Delouvée
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Climate Science ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Negative Relation ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Climate Skepticism ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
The Relationship

Despite the scientific consensus about the anthropogenic nature of climate change, there are still obstacles hindering society from acknowledging the severity of the situation. Notably, previous research suggests that climate change threats can cause people to display ethnocentric reaction to preserve the ingroup’s interests. In this research, we investigate the relation between collective narcissism and attitudes towards climate science. We argue that national collective narcissism is negatively associated with the acceptance of climate science. We further hypothesized that this relation might be mediated by conspiracy beliefs about climate change, because narcissistic identifiers are prone to hold conspiracy beliefs. In a pilot Study (N = 409), we found that national collective narcissism was significantly associated with climate change conspiracy beliefs. In Study 1 (N = 295), climate change conspiracy beliefs mediated the negative relation between national collective narcissism and acceptance of climate science. In Study 2 (N = 375), this mediation was replicated when controlling for other forms of climate skepticism. Lastly, general conspiracy mentality did not mediate this relation, which emphasizes the importance of considering the specificity of climate change conspiracy theories (rather than generic propensity to believe in conspiracy theories) in understanding distrust toward climate science.

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