One of the most disturbing aspects of social and political life in recent years has been the sudden conversion of many individuals and some groups to ideas and beliefs that stand directly contrary to what they previously espoused. Many of us have been stunned by radical reversals on the part of friends, colleagues or family members and most are shocked as political and social groups abandon what were once firmly held beliefs and core convictions.

In addition to the issue of confounding conversions, there is the puzzling willingness of both individuals and groups to accept and distribute disinformation and “big lies.” Unfortunately, the growing problem of spreading outright lies and falsehoods cannot be reduced to a lack of better information. It turns out that exposure to correct information does not reliably inspire accurate beliefs in the minds of most people.

Something much deeper is going on and social scientists now consider that the loss of both collective integrity and personal identity arises from underlying societal insecurities and psychological forces. The rapid spread of extreme ideas, false beliefs and conspiracy theories derives from deep human needs and fears that become intensified during periods of uncertainty and radical change.

It turns out that in times of conflict and social disruption, people will more readily abandon the difficult search for truth in favor of the type of security found by identifying with a group. This is true even if the sense of security is ultimately false and depends upon accepting and spreading untruths. The impulse to be part of a group can override any appeals to being rational or factual or truthful.

For many, the growing levels of collective anxiety and insecurity trigger an almost desperate need to feel part of a protective and self-defining group. It is this felt need for a sense of group security that sets up the willingness to accept reassuring information of any kind, whether it is true or not. Beyond that, a person sharing misinformation to like-minded people attracts more attention on social media. Feeling immediately rewarded by “clicks and likes” online encourages the spread of more false information.

This process, that social scientists call “in-grouping,” involves a double whammy when it comes to issues of truth and meaning. First, there is the increasing belief that a person's “social identity” can provide, not just feelings of belonging, but also a sense of being on the “right side” of cultural divisions. Secondly, this exaggerated sense of social identity becomes, not just a source of personal empowerment, but also the basis for feelings of self- righteousness and superiority. 

The first move is to project one’s sense of personal identity onto some outer ideological group, political party or supposed leader. And the second move is to blame some other group for all the troubles and dilemmas that plague contemporary life. Once the sense of belonging becomes closely tied to the idea of radically polarized groups, people switch into identity-based conflict mode. They become hungry for any information, true or false, that affirms the sense of us versus them, with us self-identifying as superior.

Identifying with an in-group can temporarily suppress underlying feelings of deep insecurity and powerlessness; but the cost can be a disconnect from truth and common reality. As one researcher put it, “There is a common conflict between our tendency to think of ourselves as rational beings, willing to put truth seeking above all else, and our contrary need to act as social animals wired for survival in ways that are based upon group dynamics. 

Once a stark division into us vs them is established the entire world can be seen as a place of conflict and danger that pits our righteous in-group against nefarious outside groups. Framing everything as part of a grand conflict against scheming enemies can make people feel more powerful, even as they give up their own sense of personal identity and genuine individuality.

As collective anxiety and societal uncertainty intensify, people cling more tightly to partisan beliefs and over-identify with increasingly radical in-groups. This in turn makes big lies and wild conspiracy theories become, not only more acceptable, but more necessary. Since the entire edifice is based upon doubling down on group identity and a false sense of self, any admission of the false premises or big lies would bring the whole thing down.

Unfortunately, the current cascade of world-wide crises may present an epitome of extreme conditions that threaten the basic sense of identity of many people as well as the character of most institutions. Since the sense of a unifying center no longer holds, either in politics or at the level of society in general, it must be sought and found at another level of being.

An old psychological idea suggests that in critical moments the issue becomes not just the cause of a symptom, but also what the symptom is aimed at. Primary symptoms of the current moment involve both the rise of dangerous falsehoods and the loss of genuine personal identity.

Rather than “outsourcing identity,” the point of all the conflicts and confusions of collective life may be the need to find the inner resources of the deeper self and soul within each person. This deeper sense of self appears in the instinctive urge to truly “become oneself.” It pushes us to experience and express the inner uniqueness which shapes our psyches from within.

The real challenge has always been to become oneself in the midst of all the conflicts and confusions of the outside world. The old saying that “nothing but the truth can hold the truth” means that we can only hold to ideals like truth, justice and unity if we find ways to embody the truth and meaning in our own lives. The inner truth for each person involves a conscious connection to a deeper sense of self, which can truly become the unifying factor in each life.

Another old idea suggests that history is not something coming from outside ourselves that simply defines who we become. Rather, history is made in the depths of the individual soul. In that sense, the point behind the current loss of truth and social unity may be a collective calling to awaken the deeper sense of self within us all.

Great crises and impossible tasks often provoke the inner wisdom and hidden resources of life. Modern cultures, so dedicated to the outer world, may find more solace, more genuine inspiration and greater unity through revelations of the deeper self within each person. At this critical time on earth, the real work of humanity may depend upon finding a greater sense of meaning and truth within ourselves that can connect us to the underlying wholeness and hidden unity of all of life.