Skip to main content

Conspiracy Theories

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
  • 1804 Accesses

Abstract

In the early 1980s, what came to be known as AIDS seemed to appear suddenly and mysteriously out of nowhere, striking with an unrelenting and deadly aim that killed those infected very quickly. Not surprisingly, this phenomenon caused much fear, which, compounded by institutional mistrust in some cases, led to rampant speculation about the origins or cause of the disease. Resulting “conspiracy theories” frequently built upon or exacerbated that fear and mistrust with misconceptions surrounding the illness, how people became infected, and treatment options and effectiveness.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   89.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Suggested Reading

  • Bogart, L. M., & Thorburn, S. (2005). Are HIV/AIDS conspiracy beliefs a barrier to HIV prevention among African Americans? Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, 38(2), 213–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mackenzie, S. (2011). Dissecting the social body: Social inequality through AIDS counter-narratives. Public Understanding of Science, 20(4), 491–505.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, M. W., Essien, E. J., & Torres, I. (2006). Conspiracy beliefs about the origin of HIV/AIDS in four racial/ethnic groups. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 41(3), 342–344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vankin, J., & Whalen, J. (2004). The 80 greatest conspiracies of all time. New York, NY: Citadel Press.

    Google Scholar 

Suggested Resources

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniel J. O’Shea .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

O’Shea, D.J. (2013). Conspiracy Theories. In: Loue, S. (eds) Mental Health Practitioner's Guide to HIV/AIDS. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5283-6_24

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics