The future of system justification theory

Abstract

on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of system justification theory. The first two commentaries are highly favourable in their evaluation of the state of theory and research on system justification, and they provide insightful suggestions for new directions. The third commentary is far more critical of system justification theory. We address each objection in some detail, seeking to correct a number of misconceptions about system justification theory and clarify the fact that the theory specifies threeego, group, and system justificationmotives rather than one. Finally, we end by proposing exciting new areas for future research, such as (1) distinguishing between subjective and objective consequences of system justification in a broader array of social and political contexts and (2) developing practical interventions to reduce system justification motivation and strengthen the motivation to improve upon the status quo.Nobody suffers like the poor people suffer. (Todd Snider, 'Incarcerated')

Is a System Motive Really Necessary to Explain the System Justification Effect? A Response to Jost (2019) and Jost, Badaan, Goudarzi, Hoffarth, and Mogami (2019)

“…The inconsistencies in Jost's (2019;Jost et al, 2019) critique of SIMSA's approach are reminiscent of the wider theoretical confusion about SJT that has yet to be resolved (see Table 1).…”

“…One approach to this confusion is to refer back to the wealth of literature on SJT and argue (as Jost et al, 2019 does) that the critics of SJT are confused because they do not have a good understanding of the historical development of the theory. But, the nit-picking over SJT's historical development (see Jost et al, 2019, p.4) seems relatively unproductive because it neither addresses the evidential problems nor the issue concerning the necessity of an autonomous system motive raised by Owuamalam et al (2019).…”

“…Response to Jost et al's (2019) View of the Theoretical Inconsistencies Presented by Owuamalam et al (2019). 1.…”

“…justification is beneficial to people's material or subjective interest (i.e., "what makes people feel good"), then it is possible that system justification is driven by personal motives rather than by a special system justification motivation. As Jost et al's (2019) union workers example shows below, system justification may sometimes simply be motivated by the need to feed oneself and one's family (i.e., don't bite the hand that feeds you). Is this need based on a special system justification motive or is it based on a personal motive?…”

Greens or space invaders: Prominent utopian themes and effects on social change motivation

“…() propose that this process occurs as a precursor to the development of perceptions of group‐based injustice and efficacy, but beyond this articulation, cognitive alternatives remain unexamined in social change research (see van Zomeren et al., ). However, as Jost, Badaan, Goudarzi, Hoffarth, and Mogami () noted in their recent commentary on system justification theory, utopian visions represent a form of cognitive alternative that can be investigated in detail.…”