Beyond Ideology: grievances and psychological needs in extremist conspiracy narratives

The proliferation of conspiracy theories within online communities can have tangible offline consequences, both on an individual and collective level (Greijdanus et al., 2020; Stewart et al., 2023). Critically, conspiracy narratives can act as a radicalisation multiplier in such contexts, capitalising on pre-existing beliefs and grievances, and adding urgency to act (Bartlett & Miller, 2010). Several incidents of individual violent extremism have been directly attributed to membership in online extremist communities related to conspiratorial ideologies. These narratives effectively weaponise grievances regarding perceived threats, fuelling a narrative of urgent action against these changes. Furthermore, narratives that are presented by epistemic authorities are deemed to hold more weight in their community and tend to be believed more (Kruglanski et al., 2005). How do ‘official’ conspiracy narratives address grievances and psychological needs? This research explores the presence of narratives surrounding grievances and needs such as the need for cognitive closure, or the need for significance, in ‘official’ narratives such as YouTube videos or podcasts from conspiracy influencers. We explore this through five conspiracy narratives (Flat Earth, Anti-5G, False Flag, Anti-Vaccine, and The Great Replacement) associated with a range of offline violent events.