ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors outline the evolution of system justification theory (SJT), with an emphasis on the consequences of the system justification (SJ) motive for perpetuating and maintaining inequality. They begin by reviewing evidence for out-group favoritism and anticipatory rationalizations—among the first effects cited as evidence for the existence of the SJ motive. They next review the motivational antecedents of SJ, namely, reduced perceptions of personal control, system threat, and perceived system inevitability. Finally, they discuss how the SJ motive encourages people to act in ways that perpetuate and maintain inequality. Specifically they show that the SJ motive (a) activates complementary stereotypes that portray a more balanced and fair social landscape; (b) promotes behavioral displays that are consistent with system-justifying stereotypes; (c) leads people to perceive group inequalities as due to essential, unchangeable differences between group members; and (d) encourages injunctification (i.e., the construal of what currently is as what should be) and the derogation of people who act counternormatively.
