Conspiracy Mentality, Conspiracy Beliefs, and the Four Socio‐Psychological Levels of Analysis: A Latent Profile Moderation Analysis

Abstract

Abstract

ABSTRACT The relationship between conspiracy mentality (CM) and belief in specific conspiracy theories (CBs) has been described as bidirectional, but it remains unclear under which socio‐psychological conditions each direction of the relationship is reinforced. The present study combined Doise's four‐level socio‐psychological framework (i.e., intrapersonal, interpersonal, positional, and ideological levels) with latent profile moderation analysis, examining paranoid ideation, ostracism, national collective narcissism, and dangerous worldview beliefs as indicators that reflect different manifestations and processes of perceived threat at each level of social explanation. In a sample of 654 participants, latent profile analysis identified five distinct socio‐psychological profiles, which differed in terms of the levels of the four variables under examination. Profile membership significantly moderated the relationship between conspiracy mentality and conspiracy beliefs in both theoretically proposed directions. Specifically, the relationship between conspiracy beliefs and conspiracy mentality (CBs → CM) was found to be more pronounced in the profile characterized by moderate levels of paranoid ideation, ostracism, collective narcissism, and perceptions of a dangerous world. Conversely, the relationship between conspiracy mentality and conspiracy beliefs (CM → CBs) was found to be more pronounced in the profile with higher levels of collective narcissism and perceptions of a dangerous world. The findings support the importance of a multi‐level approach to understanding the relationship between conspiracy mentality and belief in specific conspiracy theories. They also highlight the usefulness of combining Doise's framework with person‐centered analytical approaches.