ABSTRACT
In line with the observation made by historian Howard Zinn, research has established that people hold beliefs about social groups that serve to equate “the way things are” with the way they ought to be (e.g., Bem & Bem, 1970; Eagly & Steffen, 2000; Eidelman, Crandall, & Pattershall, 2009; Feld - man, 1972; Fiske et al., 2002; Glick & Fiske, 2001a, 2001b; Jackman, 1994; Jost & Banaji, 1994; Jost et al., 2005; Kay et al., 2007, 2009; Napier, Thorisdottir, & Jost, 2010; Triandis, 1977; Yzerbyt et al., 1997). The system-legitimizing role of ideological beliefs has been a central focus of researchers for many years (Glick & Fiske, 2001a; Jost & Banaji, 1994; Lerner, 1980; Sidanius & Pratto, 2001). However, the question of whether different types of system-legitimizing beliefs might be differentially evoked (and have differential consequences) has received little attention.
