21/02/2021
Doctor Peg O’Connor, a psychologist and gender studies analyst, writes for Psychology Today magazine about the experiences of those who have been sucked into conspiracy theories such as the bizarre cult of QAnon, and those who have also seen through their previous belief systems and left cult like situations. Doctor O’Connor is not the first professional to subject the highly weird conspiracy set of QAnon to the rational light of day, and like others, notes that the belief is particularly appealing to people with lower incomes and educational qualifications, and who already feel that they are not listened to by politicians. She reveals something of the biochemistry of addictions, which is what cults essentially are. As the QAnon believer gets locked into a cycle of only reading the group’s You Tube videos or blogs, so they get dopamine rushes to the brain which reinforce the conditioning, and a feeling of superiority over fellow citizens that can be quite heady. Finally, Doctor O’Connor looks at the experiences of those leaving these type of belief systems and how the brain processes cognition that their world view is riddled with flaws and inconsistencies before they make the decision to leave. Her analysis is at the web feed of Psychology Today and we have popped a link to it on our news feed: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/philosophy-stirred-not-shaken/20...
