
The Social Chemist
A podcast that looks into the psychosocial elements that contribute to conspiracy theories and political extremism. Hosted by social worker and conspiracy theory researcher Nelson Perez.
Episodes
69 episodes
Christian Nationalism Under Trump's Second Term w/ Amanda Tyler
On today's episode, I am joined by Amanda Tyler, Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, to discuss her new book, "How to End Christian Nationalism," where she covers the eight steps you can take to help fight a...
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44:09
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The Psychology of Disinformation and Conspiracy Theories w/ Dr. Joseph Pierre
On today's episode, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Pierre returns to the podcast to discuss his new book "False: How Mistrust, Disinformation, and Motivated Reasoning Make Us Believe Things That Aren't True." We explore how confirmation bias ...
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47:47
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The Contributing Factors Behind January 6 and the Unite the Right Rally w/ Timothy Heaphy
On today's episode, I am joined by the lead investigator of the January 6 committee and former US attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Timothy Heaphy, who also participated in the 2017 Unite the Right rally (UTR) investigation team. F...
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42:56
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The Weaponization of Disinformation & Its Assault on Democracy w/ Barbara McQuade
On today's episode, I am joined by Barbara McQuade, a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC and co-host of the #SistersInLaw podcast, to discuss her 2024 book "Attack ...
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42:10
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Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding a True Faith w/ April Ajoy
On today's episode, I am joined by April Ajoy, TikTok content creator, former Christian Nationalist, and co-host of The New Evangelicals Podcast, to d...
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51:22
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The People Who Turn Lies into Reality w/ Renée DiResta
On today's episode, I am joined by Renée DiResta, the technical research manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory, a program dedicated to the study of abuse in information technologies, to talk about her new book "Invisible Rulers: The Peop...
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50:00
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A Psychological Assessment of QAnon & It's Comparison to Addiction w/ Sophia Moskalenko
In today's episode, Dr. Sophia Moskalenko joins me in the program to discuss the various factors that contributed to the insurrection on January 6 and how exposure to conspiracy theories can lead believers and non-believers to engage in politic...
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45:43
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Radicalization within the Online Gaming Community & A Gender Perspective in Countering Extremism w/ Dr. Jessica White
In today's episode, I am joined by Dr. Jessica White, Acting Director of Terrorism and Conflict Studies at the Royal United Services Institute, to discuss her 2022 book "Gender Mainstreaming in Counter-Terrorism Policy: Building Transformative ...
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41:27
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The Emergence of Christian Extremism & The Future of the Republican Party w/ Elizabeth Neumann
On today's episode, former assistant secretary for counterterrorism and prevention at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Elizabeth Neumann, joins the podcast to discuss her book "Kingdom of Rage: The Rise of Christian Extremism and the P...
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1:22:53
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The Role of Social Workers in Prevention Violence Extremism w/ Patrick R. Riccards
On today's episode, Patrick R. Riccards, CEO of Life After Hate, joins the podcast to discuss how his organization uses evidence-based practices to help former extremists deradicalized and reintegrate into society. We cover whether prevention o...
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1:03:23
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The Black Pill Radicalization Process of the Incel Community w/ Robert Green
On today's episode, Robert Green, a Ph.D. student from Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice, joins me to discuss the origins of the incel community and the black pill radicalization process that can lead to men in the movement engaging...
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39:11
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The Global State of Antisemitism & an Examination of the Zionist Project w/ Kenneth Stern
On today's episode, the director of the Bard Center for Study of Hate and author of "Conflict Over the Conflict: The Israel/Palestine Campus Debates," Ken Stern, joins me to discuss the events of October 7th and how the Antisemitism Awareness A...
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1:27:48
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The Origins of the Rothschilds Conspiracy Legends & Rise of Modern Antisemitism w/ Mike Rothschild
On today's episode, Mike Rothschild returns to discuss his new book, Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds & 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories. We go over the history and legacy of the Rothchild's name in Judaism and how they became target nu...
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28:48
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Russia's Usage of the Conspiratorial Framework w/ Ilya Yablokov
On today's episode, lecturer and researcher on conspiratorial beliefs Ilya Yablokov joins me to discuss Russia Today's usage of conspiratorial ideologies and how that has helped the Kremlin villainize the U.S. He shares his thoughts on how U.S....
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33:54
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Social Workers Role in Addressing Political Extremism w/ Royce Hutson, Ph.D.
In today's episode, Royce Hutson, Ph.D., joins me to discuss the role of social workers in addressing political extremism and the effectiveness of violent extremism prevention programs. We also discuss the state of political extremism with the ...
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50:13
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A Psychosocial Assessment of QAnon w/ Dr. Joseph Pierre
On today's episode, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Pierre joins me to discuss the psychosocial elements that contributed to the susceptibility of the QAnon movement, and the varying degrees of convictions held by Q followers. We explore what ...
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47:22
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The Evolution of Far-Right Terrorism in the 21st Century w/ Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware
On today's episode, Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware counterterrorism experts from the Council on Foreign Relations stop by to discuss their new book "God, Guns, and Sedition: Far Right Terrorism in America." whic...
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54:32
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Undercover within the New Face of White Supremacy w/ Matson & Tawni Browning
On today's episode, Matson and Tawni Browning join to discuss their 2023 book "The Hate Next Door: Undercover within the New Face of White Supremacy," which documents their experience going undercover as white political extremists infiltrating ...
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48:29
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News Media Literacy: An Educators Tool Against Misinformation w/ DeMario Phipps Smith
On today's episode, DeMario Phipps-Smith, a Senior Manager of Community Learning at the News Literacy Project, joins me to discuss news media literacy. As AI technology evolves at a fast pace, scholars on misinformation wonder how this will cha...
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34:34
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A Sociological Assessment of Anti-Vaccine Attitudes and Behaviors w/ Matthew Facciani
On today's episode, Matthew Facciani a sociologist at the University of Notre Dame in the Computer Science and Engineering department joins me to discuss how negative vaccine attitudes don't necessarily tell us about public health behaviors. We...
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43:00
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A New Era in Disinformation: AI Generated Imagery w/ Todd C. Helmus
On today's episode, Todd C. Helmus, a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation, joins me to talk about how AI-generated imagery will change how mis and disinformation is created and disseminated. We discussed how effective regulating...
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28:25
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Here Comes the Storm: The Origins of QAnon w/ Mike Rothschild
On today's episode, I am joined by conspiracy theory researcher and QAnon expert, Mike Rothschild. We explore the origins of QAnon, whether mental health practitioners have a role in addressing far-right conspiracy theories and assess the consp...
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45:17
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How the Far-Right hijacked the Wellness Movement w/ Dr. Stephanie Alice Baker
On today's episode, I am joined by Dr. Stephanie Alice Baker, a Senior Lecturer in Sociology from the University of London. We explore the origins of the Wellness Movement in the U.S. and the people who helped develop its foundations. Then expl...
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56:34
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QAnon: A Psychiatric Assessment of a Delusion Like Belief w/ Dr. Brian Holoyda
On today's episode, I am joined by board-certified forensic psychiatrist Dr. Brian Holoyda, whose work involves paraphilic disorders and cult-like behaviors. In our conversation we discuss the concepts of Delusion Like Beliefs (DLBs) and whethe...
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1:06:37

How Susceptible are you to Misinformation? w/ Dr Rakoen Maertens
On today's episode, renowned behavioral scientist Dr. Rakoen Maertens from Cambridge University joins me to discuss the development of the Misinformation Susceptibility Test (MIST) and the importance of creating metric tools that have high vali...
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38:39
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