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What kind of rationalization is system justification?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2020

Kristin Laurin Open the ORCID record for Kristin Laurin [Opens in a new window]  and
William M. Jettinghoff
Kristin Laurin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4Canada. [email protected]@psych.ubc.cahttps://magiclab.psych.ubc.ca/group/lab-director/https://magiclab.psych.ubc.ca/person/will-jettinghoff/
William M. Jettinghoff
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4Canada. [email protected]@psych.ubc.cahttps://magiclab.psych.ubc.ca/group/lab-director/https://magiclab.psych.ubc.ca/person/will-jettinghoff/
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Abstract

Cushman uses rationalization to refer to people's explanations for their own actions. In system justification theory, scholars use the same term to refer to people's efforts to cast their current status quo in an exaggeratedly positive light. We try to reconcile these two meanings, positing that system justification could result from people trying to explain their own failure to take action to combat inequality. We highlight two novel and contested predictions emerging from this interpretation.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 43 , 2020 , e39
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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