Avoidant attachment style and conspiracy ideation

Abstract Believing in conspiracy theories is a common phenomenon that is attracting attention from the scientific community because of its important individual- and social-level implications. Here we examine the association between attachment styles and conspiracy ideation. We anticipated that avoidant attachment style, because of its emphasis on self-reliance, its motivation to suppress psychological distress, and a Manichean view of the world based on a neat distinction between good and bad, would be associated with conspiracy ideation. We found support for this expectation in three studies (total N  = 2666). Theoretical implications of the results and limitations are discussed.