System-Justifying Beliefs and Psychological Well-Being: The Roles of Group Status and Identity

Laurie T. O’Brien · Brenda Major

199 citations0/0 files storedPersonality and Social Psychology Bulletin

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Social and Intergroup Psychology Racial and Ethnic Identity Research Social Power and Status Dynamics

Abstract

This research examined the relationship between endorsing system-justifying beliefs and psychological well-being among individuals from ethnic groups that vary in social status. System-justifying beliefs are beliefs that imply that status in society is fair, deserved, and merited; examples of system-justifying beliefs in the United States include the beliefs that hard work pays off and that anyone can get ahead regardless of their group membership. We found that endorsing system-justifying beliefs was negatively related to psychological well-being among members of low-status groups who were highly identified with their group but positively related to well-being among members of low-status groups who were not highly identified with their ethnic group. In addition, we found that endorsing system-justifying beliefs was positively related to well-being among members of high-status groups, especially among members of high-status groups who were highly identified with the group.

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References

1986Psychology of intergroup relations 2002A model of (often mixed) stereotype content: Competence and warmth respectively follow from perceived status and competition.1999Social Dominance 1994The role of stereotyping in system‐justification and the production of false consciousness 2004The Social Psychology of Stigma 1992A Collective Self-Esteem Scale: Self-Evaluation of One's Social Identity 1980The Belief in a Just World 1999Perceiving pervasive discrimination among African Americans: Implications for group identification and well-being.

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2013Racial Progress as Threat to the Status Hierarchy 2013Stripped of illusions? Exploring system justification processes in capitalist and post-Communist societies 2009Distributing prejudice unequally: Do Whites direct their prejudice toward strongly identified minorities?2017For Better or Worse? System-Justifying Beliefs in Sixth-Grade Predict Trajectories of Self-Esteem and Behavior Across Early Adolescence 2017Status-Based Identity

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