Date of Graduation

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Psychological Science

Advisor/Mentor

Scott Eidelman

Committee Member

Bill Levine

Second Committee Member

Arley Ward

Third Committee Member

Laurence Hare

Abstract

With the rise of misinformation in America today, conspiracy theories and the conditions that influence them have increasingly become a topic of focus for researchers. This study investigated whether social exclusion increases belief in conspiracy theories, and how this relationship is impact by self-esteem among other individual factors. Participants (N = 309) were randomly assigned to recall either a personal experience of social exclusion or their last trip to the grocery store. They then completed randomized measures assessing conspiratorial beliefs, self-esteem, loneliness, and need for uniqueness. Contrary to expectations, no significant differences were found between the exclusion and control groups in relation to conspiratorial attitudes. The manipulation check also failed to produce a significant difference in reported feelings of exclusion between the two groups, suggesting the experimental manipulation was ineffective. These findings limit the interpretability of the results but underscore the need to refine future experimental designs. As conspiratorial thinking continues to rise in social and political discourse, understanding its psychological underpinnings remains an urgent and necessary direction for future research.

Keywords

Conspiracy theories; social exclusion; ostracism; self-esteem; loneliness; need for uniqueness

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