a burning need for said conspiracy to be the thing that's preventing them from achieving self-actualization

This is pretty much it. Left and right, 80+% of Americans are losers. They need, NEED a boogie man to blame for their woes or they would quite literally throw themselves from a bridge. These people have built up this idea that those other people who are suffering deserve it because they're bad people, but they're suffering and good because of the big meanie bad guys who they can take down and then they'll have the life they "deserve". When Obama was elected and their life didn't get better it had to be the evil corporate overlords pulling the strings. When Trump was elected and their life didn't get better it had to be the evil Illuminati pulling the string.

"And what's more, I would not be the total fucking loser I am today if TheyTM weren't suppressing the truth!"

Yup, you got it.