Thread by @AuntPeggysPrivy

Let’s talk about dysphoric self-consciousness, how it contributes to paranoid behavior, and how it manifests in Mormon communities. 🧵⬇️

First, dysphoric self-consciousness is “an aversive form of heightened public self-consciousness characterized by the feeling that one is under intense evaluative scrutiny.” Stated another way, it is the unpleasant sensation that people are watching and judging you harshly.

Feelings of dysphoric self-consciousness prompt us to engage in what’s called “spontaneous attributional search”aimed at identifying the reasons why. In essence, if one feels self-conscious, then someone must be watching; if someone is watching, then something is possibly amiss.

Three situational variables increase one’s tendency to experience dysphoric self-consciousness: 1) perceived social distinctiveness, 2) perceived evaluative scrutiny, and 3) uncertainty about one’s social standing within their in-group.

First, persons who perceive they belong to an especially distinct social category from others may feel that they “stand out” in a group, be more self-conscious, and overestimate the degree of evaluative scrutiny directed toward them by others.

Second, the perception that one is under evaluative scrutiny from others increases the likelihood of dysphoric self-consciousness. Perceiving that you are being evaluated by others increases unrealistically self-referential interpretations of the behavior of others.

Finally, when one is unsure or insecure about their social standing within a group, they are more likely to interpret others’ behavior as directed towards them personally, even when competing explanations are readily available.

These three variables increase the likelihood of dysphoric self-consciousness, which then promotes hypervigilance and rumination in an effort to make sense of why one feels self-conscious. This hypervigilance and rumination can intensify paranoid cognition and behavior.

That is, hypervigilance directs attention to more situational cues over which one may ruminate, which in turn may generate increasingly paranoid hypotheses motivating increased vigilance toward the behavior of others.

Further, hypervigilance and rumination increase the propensity toward paranoid social misperceptions such as: the hostile attribution bias, interpreting social interactions as disproportionately directed towards oneself, and exaggerated perceptions of conspiracy by others.

Left unchecked, paranoid cognitions may eventually translate into paranoid behavior, as one’s heightened suspicion of others’ motives and intentions leads them to approach social interactions with distrust, defensiveness, or even hostility.

As a consequence, their behavior comes to elicit awkward and disjointed social interactions that reinforce mutual wariness, suspicion and discomfort.

That is, one’s paranoid behavior becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy by prompting others to respond in guarded and defensive ways—further enhancing feelings of otherness, perlustration, and insecurity about one’s social standing.

Mormon culture is rich with persecution narratives and frequently promotes a sense of embattlement. These are found throughout the telling of Mormon history—one the primary ways in which Mormon identity is socialized.

It is also found in the frequent emphasis of Mormon peculiarity, presented as a sign of Mormon exceptionalism that also draws ridicule and animosity from the outside world.

These prominent narratives encourage those raised in Mormon communities to view the outside world as foreign, hostile, and even dangerous.

Therefore, Mormons are frequently enculturated with a strong sense of social distinctiveness and a predisposition toward hypervigilance directed toward threats to their Mormon community—whether from "Gentiles" or their fellow Mormons.

Furthermore, the historically tenuous relationship between Mormonism and acceptance into the American mainstream may encourage Mormons to feel unsure and insecure about their standing in broader society.

It is common for Mormons to be encouraged to “let their light so shine” and to “be an example of the believers” to those watching and judging from the outside.

Mormons are taught “every member a missionary,” therefore it is their individual duty to favorably represent the Mormon faith through their dress, words, deeds, and even “the light in their eyes.”

Members are further encouraged to actively proselytize their faith by bearing testimony, sharing copies of The Book of Mormon, and inviting their non-Mormon acquaintances to church meetings or to meet with the missionaries.

Proselytizing efforts are often met with rejection, which may further reinforce perceptions of social peculiarity and distrust by outsiders.

Taken together, Mormons are naturally enculturated to perceive themselves as socially distinct, under evaluative scrutiny, and unsure about their standing among non-Mormon society—all but ensuring the experience of dysphoric self-consciousness when outside their community.

Given the above-mentioned factors that foster experiences of dysphoric self-consciousness, combined with those that foster collective narcissism, is it at all surprising that paranoid social behavior and conspiracism seem to flourish in Mormon communities?

https://twitter.com/AuntPeggysPrivy/status/1564081490060873728

Cultural factors promoting dysphoric self-consciousness are not limited to being a Mormon in Babylon, trying to “live in the world but not of the world.” Mormon communities are arranged in hierarchical structures formalized through callings, ordination, and priesthood offices.

The practice of worthiness interviews conducted by one’s ecclesiastical superiors provides a regular reminder of the evaluative scrutiny within one’s own community.

This is exacerbated by the many outward indicators of Mormon devotion and orthopraxy whereby members frequently evaluate each other’s faithfulness.

These range from the clothes one wears, the food one eats, the entertainment one consumes, the way one speaks, and the frequency and appropriateness with which one performs the duties of being an active member of their Mormon community.

Add to these the looming spectre of church discipline (with its varying levels of membership restrictions or excommunication) for those who do not adequately perform the evaluative standards for inclusion in the community.

All together, Mormon communities are frequently an environment wherein members may feel considerable evaluative scrutiny and uncertainty of their social standing among their Mormon peers.

Mormon experiences with dysphoric self-consciousness are not limited to active Latter-day Saints. ExMormons often express feelings of dysphoric self-consciousness, particularly if they have devout Mormon relatives or live in predominantly Mormon locations.

Frequently, exMormons will express perceptions of intense scrutiny from their devout Mormon acquaintances or relatives, feeling like their behavior, happiness, or general prosperity are continually being evaluated.

For ExMormons living in Mormon-dense areas or with predominantly Mormon familial relations, acute feelings of social distinctiveness are commonly expressed.

This may be compounded with considerable uncertainty and insecurity regarding one’s social status in their Mormon-dominated social environment, especially when their faith transition is relatively fresh.

These factors combine to increase the likelihood that exMormons experience dysphoric self-consciousness in their interactions with other Mormons, increasing susceptibility to the hostile attribution bias, self-as-target bias, and perhaps exaggerated perceptions of conspiracy.

These may manifest as exMormons interpreting the behavior of devout Mormons with heightened suspicion, seeing ulterior motives behind innocent social interactions, and perhaps imagining that the ward council is conspiring to manipulate them back into the fold.

Furthermore, many exMormons were fully socialized into their former Mormon communities before their disaffection. As they test behavioral boundaries previously shaped by Mormonism, they may feel particularly out of place and unsure of themselves.

Consequently, their loss in belief or commitment to Mormonism may not disabuse them of the lingering impact of their enculturation into Mormon ways of being, at least not initially.

Identifying as neither Mormon nor non-Mormon, exMormons may experience a double portion of perceived social distinctiveness, not quite fitting in with their devout Mormon peers or in the broader “Gentile” world from which they were sheltered.

The degree of this sense of anomie will probably vary for those raised in Mormon-dense areas compared to those raised in “the mission field” or who converted later in life.

Nevertheless, they all may find that they have few people to converse with as they continue to deconstruct their former values and beliefs, since their previous community may be hostile to such conversations and their non-Mormon friends may be uninterested or unable to relate.

They may find a sympathetic audience in dedicated exMormon communities, where they can discuss their former culture and social transitions together.

However, inasmuch as these communities are comprised of people with a largely shared experience of enculturation into Mormondom, the social dynamics in which they were raised sometimes re-express themselves in dedicated exMormon spaces.

I submit this is one reason why we often see a proliferation of conspiracy theories involving the Mormon church in dedicated exMormon spaces. Experiences with dysphoric self-consciousness foster hostile attribution directed toward the perceived sources of one's dysphoria.

Just because I'm talking about this doesn't mean than I am immune to it. Hardly. However, learning about it and recognizing it when it occurs is useful in helping oneself to take a step back and rationally reevaluate what one is feeling and why.

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