People Who Believe In The ‘Deep State’ Usually Share These 2 Personality Traits, Says Study
Leszek Glasner | Shutterstock A recent study identified some common personality traits that people who believe in the "deep state" conspiracy theory share. And while everyone’s views about conspiracy theories differ, to some, they are just that: conspiracy theories. Others see them as viable explanations for phenomena that can’t be easily explained.
Few conspiracy theories are as pervasive and concerning as that of the “deep state.” In an opinion piece for Scientific American, Kathryn Olmsted and Simon Willmetts defined this as “the idea of a deep state cabal of unelected officials secretively pulling the strings of an American government.” Some people will find this ridiculous, while others will undoubtedly defend the idea pretty strongly.
People who believe in the deep state usually share these two personality traits:
1. They struggle with ambiguity
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A study published in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology examined what traits people who believe in conspiracy theories share. Eric W. Dolan summarized the study for PsyPost, noting that the first trait researchers found to be common among those who believed in conspiracy theories, like the deep state, was a concern surrounding ambiguity.
“The concept of ‘Tolerance of Ambiguity’ describes how a person reacts to vague, inconsistent, or unclear information,” Dolan said. “The researchers wanted to test if the discomfort caused by ambiguity drives people toward the clear explanations offered by conspiracy theories.”
As part of the study, participants completed the High Potential Trait Indicator personality assessment, which measured Tolerance of Ambiguity. The data proved that people with lower Tolerance of Ambiguity scores, who therefore felt discomfort with any sort of uncertainty, were more likely to subscribe to conspiracy theories. For some things, there truly is no simple explanation, which leaves people with questions. Sometimes, conspiracy theories can provide answers, whether they’re true or not.
2. They believe that the world is unjust
Adrian Furnham, lead study author and professor at the Norwegian Business School, said that in addition to Tolerance of Ambiguity, he was also deeply interested in Just World Theory. This theory involves how people see justice playing out in the world and whether it is just or unjust.
“The study found a strong link between a belief in an unjust world and conspiracy thinking,” Dolan stated. “Those who felt that the world is fundamentally unfair were more inclined to believe that powerful groups are secretly manipulating events.”
This makes sense. If someone truly believes the world is unfair, they would be desperate for a way to explain why. One possible explanation could be that conspiracy theories like the deep state are, in fact, true. In their minds, the world would be a fine, fair place if it weren’t for the meddling of powerful people who could make bad things happen.
The deep state theory has gained more traction in recent years.
According to Olmsted and Willmetts, the deep state theory actually originated with the CIA’s top-secret operations during the Cold War, which they said caused “legitimate public concern.” It made people wonder if the representatives they elected were really the people in control. Now, however, people believe in the deep state because it seems to be the only explanation for why the government is not working the way they want it to.
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A Pew Research Center survey found that only 17% of Americans felt they could depend on the government “to do what is right.” Additionally, a Monmouth University poll found that 74% of Americans believed that some kind of deep state existed.
As government actions become less transparent, it’s not hard to see why so many people would think the deep state was real. Quite honestly, it would be easy to present evidence both for and against the deep state. It has somewhat understandable origins, and people just really don’t trust the government. This makes it a difficult conspiracy theory to dismantle.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
