A large amount of people believe president John F. Kennedy was killed in a conspiracy. Despite that and the confusing circumstances surrounding his assassination, there isn't substantial evidence to corroborate another party's involvement. My project aims to address why people are so inclined to believe these theories, and why this particular event generated more conspiracy theories than other similar events.

ABSTRACT

METHODS/DISCIPLINE

History and psychology

SOURCES

+ Karen Douglas et al. - The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories

+ Art Swift - Majority in U.S. Still Believe JFK Killed in a Conspiracy

+ Marta Marchlewska et al. - Addicted to answers: Need for cognitive closure and the endorsement of conspiracy beliefs

+ David Rietzes - JFK conspiracy theories at 50: how the skeptics got it wrong and why it matters

Main research method (source source?): Google Scholar

CONCLUSION

Confusing circumstances in a surprising situation does not mean a conspiracy was involved, but there are legitimate reasons for people to believe in one. There is no way to completely avoid conspiracy theorist beliefs, but acknowledging evidence for what it is regardless of pre-existing biases is a good start.