Conspiracy theories and flying saucers

Abstract

How can we explain the recent enormous increase in the number of conspiracy theories and believers? Since the 1990s, two trends have moved in tandem: the rising number of conspiracy theories and the growing alarm over global warming. Is there some connection between these two trends? Looking to the 1950s, according to C. G. Jung, there was a connection between the number of sightings of flying saucers and the threat of nuclear war. His analysis serves as a template for our study of conspiracy theories, relying on the psychological processes of repression, projection, compensation, and dissociation. This article begins with a review of Jung’s study and then applies his approach to understand the current explosion of conspiracy theories.