We begin by specifically highlighting System Justification Theory's implications for: organizational change, employee citizenship behaviors, and integration of a diverse workforce. Another way people rationalize the status quo is through the use of stereotypes. [3][4] System justification theory builds off the cognitive dissonance framework, in that it posits people will justify a social system in order to retain a positive image of that social system, due to the fact that they inherently play a role (whether passive or active) in perpetuating it. They are general (or diffuse, that is, societal) system justification, economic system justification, and gender-specific system justification. 58, 362) on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of system justification theory. Understanding the "two faces of oppression.". Why do we so often defend the very social systems that [2] In response to this, system justification theorists introduced both implicit and explicit measures of outgroup favoritism. [16] But that overall, conservatives were more likely to have increased system justification tendencies than liberals. Lukes, S. (2011). 
[3][5], This theory has widely been compared to system justification theory since they are both system justifying theories. In the middle of the 16th century, a 22-year-old law student in France named Etienne de la Botie wrote an essay entitled "Discourse of Voluntary Servitude" that was circulated among academics for centuries. From a system justification perspective, we propose that people are motivated to defend the social systems on which they depend, and this confers a psychological advantage to conservative ideology. Economic system justification is also at work in the downplaying of economic concerns and skepticism about anthropogenic climate change. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-14193-z. 
However, this does not preclude the possibility that men and women might engage in backlash for different reasons. Political Psychology, 25 (6), 823844. In a recent research study on the connection of system justification beliefs and ambivalent sexism, researchers found that benevolent sexism beliefs related to higher life satisfaction through system justification. They are less supportive of system-challenging social movements associated with feminism, environmentalism, Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter, and LGBTQ+ rights, compared to those who score low on economic system justification. John T. Jost is Professor of Psychology, Politics, & Data Science and Co-Director of the Center for Social and Political Behavior at New York University. Ego, group, and system justification motives, Enhanced system justification among the disadvantaged, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "The role of stereotyping in system-justification and the production of false consciousness", "The psychology of system justification and the palliative function of ideology", "Outgroup favoritism and the theory of system justification: A paradigm for investigating the effects of socioeconomic success on stereotype content", "Social Identity, System Justification, and Social Dominance: Commentary on Reicher, Jost et al., and Sidanius et al", "Social Dominance Theory: Its Agenda and Method", "Complementary Justice: Effects of "Poor but Happy" and "Poor but Honest" Stereotype Exemplars on System Justification and Implicit Activation of the Justice Motive", "Leftright ideological differences in system justification following exposure to complementary versus noncomplementary stereotype exemplars", "Ideology: Its Resurgence in Social, Personality, and Political Psychology", "System Justification Theory and Research: Implications for Law, Legal Advocacy, and Social Justice", "Antecedents and Consequences of System-Justifying Ideologies", "Moral Outrage Mediates the Dampening Effect of System Justification on Support for Redistributive Social Policies", "System Justification in Responding to the Poor and Displaced in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina", "Reactions to group devaluation and social inequality: A comparison of social identity and system justification predictions", "Addressing evidential and theoretical inconsistencies in system-justification theory with a social identity model of system attitudes", "A critical review of the (un) conscious basis for systemsupporting attitudes of the disadvantaged", "A quarter century of system justification theory: Questions, answers, criticisms, and societal applications", "The future of system justification theory", "Is a system motive really necessary to explain the system justification effect? Thus, consistent with the palliative function of system justification, people who believe that the economic system is fair, legitimate, and desirable appear to be less distressed, even on a physiological level, by extreme forms of inequality (Goudarzi et al., 2020). British Journal of Social Psychology, 33, 1-27. We also measured skin conductance levels and, using facial electromyography, muscular activity in the corrugator supercilii (furrowing of the brow), while participants watched the videos. According to system justification theory, threats to the legitimacy or stability of the system as long as they fall short of toppling and replacing the status quo should evoke defensive ideological responses, leading people to be even more motivated to justify the existing system (see Jost & Hunyady, 2002). Azevedo, F., Jost, J.T., & Rothmund, T. (2019). [2], Research on wage disparities among men and women have found that women often believe they are paid less than men because they do not deserve equal pay. And by the late 1980s, researchers such as Patricia Devine proposed that there is an unconscious or automatic aspect of the stereotyping process that is based on a person's cultural knowledge (as opposed to their personal beliefs) about a particular social group. We need to return to the big questions of philosophy. Converse, P. E. (1964). Although they differ in many respects, impression formation theories agree that counterstereotypical targets move perceivers away from stereotypic and toward individuating judgments of others (Brewer, 1988; Fiske & Neuberg, 1990; Kunda & Thagard, 1996). The motivational component of system justification means that its effects are exacerbated when people are under psychological threat or when they feel their outcomes are especially dependent on the system that is being justified. When people perceive threats to the predominant system, they are more inclined to cling to and back the existing structure, and one way of doing so is by means of endorsing stereotypes that rationalize inequality. [3], In particular, as system justification motives increase for high status group members, ingroup ambivalence will decrease, levels of self-esteem will increase, and depression and neuroticism levels will decrease. Goudarzi, S., Pliskin, R., Jost, J.T., & Knowles, E. (2020). SJT assumes that people will be most likely to resolve their cognitive dissonance and associated uncertainties in the first way, by supporting social systems, when they feel that the system is stable and unchangeable (cf. WebSocial Identity, System Justification, and Social Dominance: Commentary on Reicher, Jost et al., and Sidanius et al. What then differentiated those who were biased or not was the overt or explicit expression of these beliefs. When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced a new policy of openness to immigration from Syria, the government framed the changes as congruent with the Canadian way, and this apparently shifted stereotypes of immigrants (especially among high system-justifiers) in a more positive direction (Gaucher et al., 2018). That is, both men and women may be motivated to hold benevolent sexism beliefs because such beliefs may help to promote the notion that the status quo is fair, which in turn can maintain life satisfaction. These three motives can be integrated under system justification theory (Jost, 2021), as all three help to explain conservatives greater emphasis on defending the status quo and resisting egalitarian ideals. For those seeking a better grasp of the times in which we live, Josts book is appointment reading. According to system justification theory (SJT), individuals who endorse strong system-justifying ideologies regard the current status quo as legitimate and fair. [1][2], Previous social psychological theories that aimed to explain intergroup behavior typically focused on the tendencies for people to have positive attitudes about themselves (ego-justification) and their self-relevant groups (group-justification). Auburn, AL: Ludwig von Mises Institute. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 36, 209-232. To this end, researchers began looking inside the head rather than relying on behaviors or responses that could be open to social desirability concerns or other forms of biased responding. One of the most popular and well-known social psychological theories, cognitive dissonance theory explains that people have a need to maintain cognitive consistency in order to retain a positive self-image. We interpret these results as indicating that the secular-humanistic ideals of libert, egalit, fraternit, which emerged during the French Revolution, are by now so well-entrenched that they have come to represent the establishment in France. For those seeking a better grasp of the times in which he live, Josts book is appointment reading. [2] Thus, stereotype endorsement as system justification is consensual and holds a palliative function. In needing to believe that the current or prevailing systems are fair and just, results in people justifying the existing inequalities within it. In this sense, the norms of the fundamentalists group may become the most relevant status quo for members of that group. In order to account for the phenomenon of outgroup favoritism that is a main component of system justification, theorists have derived heavily from the Marxist-feminist theories on the prevailing ideologies as tools to preserve the system. 
Group-based dominance and opposition to equality as independent predictors of self-esteem, ethnocentrism, and social policy attitudes among African Americans and European Americans. By continuing you agree to the use of cookies. In defense of false consciousness. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 19-28. High economic system-justifiers in the U.S. also score higher on measures of right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation, and they score lower on measures of egalitarianism and justice sensitivity. In another program of research, exposure to benevolent sexism led women in Germany to withhold support for feminist collective action, and the effect was mediated by gender system justification as well as the perceived advantages of being a woman (Becker & Wright, 2011). Exposure to benevolent sexism and complementary gender stereotypes: consequences for specific and diffuse forms of system justification. A person's perception of their own status may explain why they actcertain ways around superiors, equals, or those in positions of less power. As noted, a cognitive approach would posit that the dominance penalty toward women derives from perceptually contrasting agentic women with low-agency feminine stereotypes, resulting in extreme ratings on behaviors that are prototypical for leaders (Eagly et al., 1992; Manis et al., 1988). The above findings may be explained by System Justification Theory (Jost & Banaji, 1994) which holds that people are motivated to support the existing political and ideological system, and sometimes will do even if it harms their individual or group interests. As is the case with all other forms of human. 
Yet it is so common that one must grieve the more and wonder the less at the spectacle of a million men serving in wretchedness, their necks under the yoke, not constrained by a greater multitude than they, but simply, it would seem, delighted and charmed by the name of one man alone whose power they need not fear (de la Botie, 1548/2008). Second, RCT is limited in scope because it does not account for evidence that agentic women suffer backlash even when they are not in leadership positions (e.g., Rudman, 1998; Rudman & Fairchild, 2004), or for the fact that atypical men and racial vanguards are also at risk (e.g., Heilman & Wallen, 2010; Phelan & Rudman, 2010a; Rudman & Fairchild, 2004; Moss-Racusin et al., 2010). Such rationalization for inequality via stereotyping is said to be what makes political conservatives happier than liberals. WebUnited Kingdom. People are motivatedoften at a non-conscious level of awarenessto defend, justify, and bolster aspects of the societal status quo, including existing social, economic, and political institutions and arrangements. The assumption has often been that if stereotypes are accurate, they cannot be unfair. But stereotypes, as the processes reviewed above establish, can unfairly create their own accuracy by inhibiting counterstereotypical behavior through social pressure. Osborne, D., Jost, J.T., Becker, J., Badaan, V., & Sibley, C.G. This is the question that the theory of system justification seeks to answer. (2020). Interestingly, research on system justification has shown somewhat surprisingly that those lower in the social hierarchy often support, to some degree, the existing hierarchy, often at the cost to themselves and their group. Since people will be inclined to make sure their preferences are congruent with the status quo, in situations of inevitability, people are more likely to endorse the status quo as a coping mechanism for dealing with unpleasant realities. His description of voluntary servitude, sometimes referred to as self-domination, has much in common with Marxian concepts of ideological hegemony and false consciousness. 
Jost, J.T. System justification theorists argued that the theoretical conception of system justification theory derived, in part, from limitations of social identity theory. And this will be seen more among low status group members for completed work as opposed to work not yet completed. This is especially true of people who want their own group to dominate and be superior to other groups. In other words, if we know that overt expressions of prejudice are taboo in modern society and we know that implicit expressions are prone to cultural knowledge, then how can we know what a person's true beliefs are about racial groups? Citation Rubin, M., & Hewstone, M. (2004). [33] Research on system justification in young children remains a current trend. As a consequence, backlash perpetuates stereotypes, group-based social hierarchies, and plays a key role in a fundamental human conflict that pits acting on personal values and talents against conforming to arbitrary and unfair social norms (Allport, 1955; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975; Rohan, 2000). They are also more social and economically conservative and score higher on right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation. In this article, we focus on relational motivation, describing evidence that conservatives are more likely than liberals to: prioritize values of conformity and tradition; possess a strong desire to share reality with like-minded others; perceive within-group consensus when making political and non-political judgments; be influenced by implicit relational cues and sources who are perceived as similar to them; and maintain homogenous social networks and favor an echo chamber environment that is conducive to the spread of misinformation. One such hypothesis poses that people will rationalize the status quo by judging likely events to be more desirable than unlikely events, regardless if the events are initially defined as attractive or unattractive (Kay, Jimenez, & Jost, 2002). [2][3] In particular, system justification theorists have argued that social identity theory does not fully account for outgroup favoritism, and that it is more able to explain ingroup favoritism. Why Mimetic Desire is Key to Understanding Social Media, The One Emotion That Really Hurts Your Brain, What People Assume About Women With Tattoos. In national surveys, we find that U.S. citizens who score higher on economic system justification tend to be older, wealthier, more religious, and to score higher on both general and gender-specific forms of system justification. Belfast; Birmingham; Bristol; Cardiff; Coventry; Edinburgh; Leeds; Leicester; Liverpool System justification theory attempts to explain why members of disadvantaged groups may become accepting of their disadvantaged position (Jost & Banaji, 1994). In this research, we drew on system-justification theory and the notion that conservative ideology serves a palliative function to explain why conservatives are happier than liberals. This has shown to result in less support for social policies that redistribute resources in the aim for equality. For instance, Kristin Laurin (2018) found that people were more likely to accept as legitimate legislative bans on public smoking and the use of plastic water bottlesas well as the new presidency of Donald Trumpimmediately after these changes went into effect (vs. immediately before). (2003). In theory, actors need only behave atypically to be spared category-based judgments. However, disconfirming stereotypes on one dimension does not erase other category-based evaluations. Because people have a tendency to justify the status quo (which usually consists of inequality among groups) and believe that it is fair and legitimate, certain people from low status groups will accept, internalize, and hence perpetuate that inequality. "The Mimetic Theory of Desire" was first proposed by Ren Girard. The nature of belief systems in mass publics. Although the notion of an authoritarian personality has fallen out of research favor, vestiges of this personality-based theory of prejudice still remain in more current work, such as work on social dominance orientation (SDO) and system justification theory (SJT). There is only one country thus far in which we have observed a significant negative correlation. Surely a striking situation! For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. SJT defines conservative ideology in terms of elements of individuals resistance to change and the acceptance of inequality, and studies of SJT have shown that this definition is empirically plausible when psychological concepts are used (see Jost, 2018 for Increased system justification, and increased victim blaming could be detrimental in providing the victims the resources needed to work towards repairing the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. As a result, women's self-image may suffer and backlash might reflect self-esteem preservation (Tesser, 1986). Accordingly, current research on stereotyping and prejudice has been focused on the dissociation between one's implicit beliefs and the explicit expression of these beliefs. In countries as diverse as the United States, United Kingdom, Argentina, New Zealand, Lebanon, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Latvia, we see a significant positive correlation between conservative/rightist orientation and general system justification. A theory of system justification. John T Jost, in Current Opinion in Psychology, 2017. from the toward the in Germany have published the Article: religiosity are often more powerful predictors of economic system support than subjective Religiosity are often more powerful predictors of economic system support than subjective or objective indicators of material interests System justification motives were also observed in that children from low status groups were found display implicit outgroup favoritism. Thus, fundamentalists are likely to psychologically depend on this religious ideological system or group. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. To this extent, theorists have provided specific hypothesis in which the rationalization of the status quo can manifest. Economic system justification, typically measured with the Economic System Justification (ESJ) scale, is defined as the general ideological tendency to legitimize economic inequality (Jost & Thompson, 2000, p. 225) and thereby echoes the underlying principles of the free-market economy. 
Researchers have also linked political conservatism with system justification, in that conservatism is associated with upholding tradition and resistance to change, which is similar to justifying the status quo (or current state of social, political, and economic norms). System justification theory sheds light on the phenomenon of working class conservatism and helps to explain why the disadvantaged sometimes hold the same system-justifying beliefs as members of advantaged groups. System justification is a social psychology term of art that designates any motivational tendency to defend, bolster, or rationalize existing social, economic, Along this vein, system justification theorists hold that high status group members will engage in increased ingroup favoritism the more politically conservative they are, while low status group members will display increased outgroup favoritism the more politically conservative they are. , M., & system justification theory jost, E. 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