System Justification Research Articles

Parliamentary Debates on Gambling Policies as Political Action

The aims of this paper are twofold: first, to demonstrate the importance and relevance of interpretive political analysis to gambling research and second, to analyze from the aforementioned perspective why politicians in Finland talk about gambling harm and gambling revenue the way they do. The speeches of the representatives in the Parliament of Finland during debates on gambling policy are analysed as political action. The analysis has three levels. The first focuses on the themes of the speeches. The results show that there are four distinct thematic dimensions in the speeches: gambling harm, revenue, regulatory system, and regulation. The second level of analysis establishes the contexts where certain themes typically occur. Typically, revenue is discussed in the context of the economic aspect of gambling while gambling harm is discussed in the context of the justification of the regulatory system. The third level of analysis explains why the themes occur in the contexts they do. The representatives´ acceptance of the self-evidence of the regulatory system forecloses any possibility of getting support for major changes to the system. This explains why the official policy aims of reducing and preventing gambling harm have not been realized. It is concluded that the approach introduced can help to understand the political aspects of gambling.

The paradox of local inequality: Meritocratic beliefs in unequal localities.

A puzzle has emerged amidst rising inequality: why do people profess high levels of belief in meritocracy even as income gains are increasingly concentrated at the top? In light of contradictory theories and evidence, we undertake the first assessment of the relationship between local income inequality and meritocratic beliefs outside the United States, using data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study. We find that the positive relationship between country‐level income inequality and meritocratic beliefs identified in the recent literature does not translate straightforwardly below country level: there is no robust relationship between local income inequality and meritocratic beliefs in England. However, there is a robust—and somewhat paradoxical—positive association between high local income inequality and meritocratic beliefs among those with the lowest incomes. On average, respondents with annual household incomes of £10,000 are five points more likely (on a 100‐point scale) to believe their hard work will pay off if they live in the most rather than the least unequal places in England. We also show that this applies beyond the specific case of meritocratic beliefs: low‐income respondents in unequal places are also notably more satisfied with their own (low) income than similar respondents in more equal localities. In line with system justification theory, we argue that belief in meritocracy serves as an important tool of psychological resilience for low‐income individuals who regularly come into contact with others more economically fortunate than themselves: though it legitimates their current position at the bottom of the status hierarchy, this belief also offers the promise of future advancement. While this reduces concern about the psychological effects of growing local income inequality on the most economically vulnerable, it also suggests that there is little prospect of demand for systemic economic change emerging from what might have been considered the most likely places.

Analytical substantiation of the system of automatic control of mode and technological parame-ters of the separating system of the machine for onion harvesting

Analytical studies have been carried out on the development and justification of an automatic control system for the regime and technological parameters of the separating system of an onion harvesting machine, a block diagram and an algorithm for a linear position control system, as well as a design scheme for the formation of a control algorithm, have been developed. A mathematical model of the control object for regulating the depth of the mode parameters of the separating system, the condition for ideal tracking of the trajectory of the point of movement of the moving parts of the drive mechanisms of the links of the master device and the rods of the actuating actuators of the automatic system of the separating system are determined.

Punitive Reactions to Tax Evasion in Italy

Abstract. The present research investigates whether and how intentionality of (i.e., a retribution-related factor) and the difficulty to detect (i.e., a utilitarianism-related factor) tax evasion may influence people’s punitive reactions depending on individual differences in economic system justification. Results of a moderation analysis revealed (a) a positive effect of intentionality, but not difficult to detect, on punitiveness; (b) a negative effect of economic system justification on punitiveness; (c) an interactive effect between intentionality and economic system justification, suggesting that intentionality predicts punitive reactions towards tax evaders only when economic system justification is low. These results qualify the notion that people are more concerned about retribution than about utilitarianism, thereby providing support for the intuitive retributivism hypothesis. Also, they suggest that economic system justification plays a role in demotivating punishment toward tax evaders, especially in conjunction with retribution.

Better support for national than local system during the COVID-19 pandemic in China.

Individuals increase their support for social systems in response to the threat, panic, and uncertainty that characterized the COVID‐19 pandemic. This could be because a powerful social system can compensate for a lack of control at the individual level. However, the levels of public support for national versus local systems could be different in China. Two studies investigate whether people support the national more strongly than the local system during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Study 1 analyzed data of 3593 participants from China; the results showed that participants reported higher levels of support for the national system than the local. In Study 2, we further tested a possible moderator for it. With a sample of 275 participants, we found that the difference between public support for national and local systems in China was based on the perceived higher response efficacy with the national government. Implications for research on system justification and governmental pandemic responses were discussed.

Determinations of system justification versus psychological reactance consumer behaviours in online taboo markets

PurposeThis research aims to understand the determinants of consumers' behaviour and motivations to buy taboo items online. Two theoretical lenses, theories of psychological reactance and system justification, are invoked to frame the role of online shopping in shaping consumer behaviour in taboo markets.Design/methodology/approachA naturalistic inquiry paradigm was used to test a sample of 34 Saudi women who were buying taboo products online.FindingsThe determinant of such behaviour is based on differences in understanding the ritual restrictions between people, their society and their country. The four principal attitudes towards restrictions are justifying, accepting, rejecting and reacting. These attitudes frame five motivations: satisfying the restriction, to be unique, but aligned with social norms; breaking social norms; aligning one's self-image to liberal societies; and joy in challenging legal restrictions. The motives for online shopping are justification/utilitarian, to accommodate other restrictions in going to local markets; and reactance hedonic, to break restrictions. These motivations create seven different patterns of online shopping behaviour.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the literature by presenting an alternative perspective on online shopping motivations for taboo products. Furthermore, this research calls for a new socio-psychological theory for understanding the role of technology in influencing consumer behaviour in restrictive societies.

The Influence of the Disadvantaged Mindset on System-Justifying Beliefs.

System justification theory holds that disadvantaged groups rationalize the current social system, even if it is unfavorable to them. Epistemic, relational, and existential needs are factors that explain this phenomenon. However, the literature has not yet examined and explained when disadvantaged groups no longer rationalize current social systems. This study uses a questionnaire survey method (N = 745) to study the moderating effect of collectivism on disadvantaged mindset and system-justifying beliefs. It found that collectivism can influence the predictive effect of disadvantaged mindset on system-justifying beliefs. For people who scored low in collectivism, a disadvantaged mindset can significantly negatively predict system-justifying beliefs; for those who scored high in collectivism, a disadvantaged mindset no longer predicts system-justifying beliefs. Therefore, these results show that collectivist values are important for explaining system justification in disadvantaged groups. When collectivist values decline, the level of rationalization of the social system by disadvantaged groups also decreases.

Digital didactics: systemic foundations and the image of the future

The article is devoted to the system justification of the e-learning process. The language of cybernetics is used to describe a purposeful process. Using the language of cybernetics allows you to identify all the components of the educational process management system. In the classical case, this is a teacher who has a management goal and achieves this goal. With the advent of computer technology, the process control system becomes more complicated – information and communication technologies are included in it. Based on the cybernetic model of learning as a purposeful process, the evolution of the interaction process in education from classical education in the form of "man-man", then to the form of "man-computer-man" and then to the form of "man-learning environment" is considered. At the same time, the evolution of the didactic content of the educational process is considered. The main conclusions of this study are: the conclusion that there is a fundamental contradiction between the finite possibilities of computer influence as part of the educational process management system and the infinite set of behavioral reactions of the learner. It is shown how this contradiction is resolved at the system level by, on the one hand, simplifying the e-course itself, but at the same time increasing the diversity of the number of courses. It is shown that at this level the development of e-learning and the content of digital didactics can be characterized as "student–teacher - learning algorithm". Further, a forecast is made that an increase in the variety of e-courses will lead to the creation of a personal learning environment, the purpose of which will be marketing: to satisfy the client's training needs as much as possible. It is concluded that digital didactics will be built on the principles of gamification.

Is use of the general system justification scale across countries justified? Testing its measurement equivalence.

System justification is a widely researched topic in social and political psychology. One major measurement instrument in system justification research is the General System Justification Scale (G-SJS). This scale has been used, among others, for comparisons across social groups in different countries. Such comparisons rely on the assumption that the scale is measurement equivalent. However, this assumption has never been comprehensively tested. Thus, the present two studies assessed the measurement equivalence of the G-SJS following classic measurement equivalence guidelines (i.e., multigroup confirmatory factor analyses) in Study 1 and using a new method for comparing larger numbers of groups in Study 2 (i.e., alignment optimization). In Study 1, we analysed the measurement equivalence in Great Britain (n=444), Germany (n=454), and France (n=463). In Study 2, we used a publicly available dataset consisting of 66samples from 30 countries (N=13,495) to again assess the measurement equivalence of the scale. Results indicated (partial) metric equivalence, but not scalar equivalence in both studies. Overall, the studies indicate that mean comparisons across the examined countries are not warranted with the current form of the G-SJS. The scale needs to be revised for valid cross-country comparisons of means.

Are you advocating for me? Social penalties toward teachers that (dis)confirm gender stereotypes during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT We investigated the effects of gender stereotype violations within the context of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as whether social penalties for violating gender stereotypes in this domain are moderated by trait levels of gender system justification. Participants (N = 254) rated four hypothetical teaching scenarios where target sex (male or female teacher) and reason for refusal to return to in-person teaching (advocating for one’s self vs. advocating for others) were manipulated. Results showed that as predicted, participants with high levels of gender system justification rated self-advocating female teachers least favorably. Unexpectedly, participants with low levels of gender system justification rated self-advocating male teachers least favorably. Implications for gender stereotype violation are discussed as well as implications for those teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Exploring Higher Education Pathways for Coping With the Threat of COVID-19: Does Parental Academic Background Matter?

First-generation students (FGS) are more likely to feel misplaced and struggle at university than students with university-educated parents (continuous-generation students; CGS). We assumed that the shutdowns during the Coronavirus-pandemic would particularly threaten FGS due to obstructed coping mechanisms. Specifically, FGS may show lower identification with the academic setting and lower perceived fairness of the university system (system justification). We investigated whether FGS and CGS used different defenses to cope with the shutdown threat in a large sample of German-speaking students (N = 848). Using Structural Equation Modeling, we found that for all students, independent of academic parental background, high levels of system justification were associated with perceiving the learning situation as less threatening, better coping with failure, and less helplessness. However, in comparison to CGS, FGS showed small but significant reductions in system justification and relied more on concrete personal relationships with other students as well as their academic identity to cope with the threatening situation. We discuss implications for helping FGS succeed at university.

Look past the divide: Social dominance, authoritarianism, future thinking, and superordinate identity underlie the political divide on environmental issues

Research in social and political science has documented a political divide on environmental issues, describing greater environmental concern as well as more proenvironmental attitudes and behaviours amongst left-wing (or liberal) than right-wing (or conservative) citizens. However, the specific psychological components that underlie this divide remain underexplored. In the present study, we explore the role of several socio-cognitive components known to be associated with political orientation and assess how well each can account for the relationship between political orientation and proenvironmental views. Evidence from a large-scale survey in the UK (N = 1,147) reveals that higher right-wing authoritarianism, higher social dominance orientation, lower future thinking and lower superordinate (European) identity, together accounted for half the effect of political orientation. In contrast, belief in a just world, system justification, and ingroup (British) identity, were not significantly related to proenvironmental views. The present work advances past research by informing which psychological routes may be useful for interventions and persuasion to bridge the political divide on environmental issues.

Поддержка женщин в политике: роль оправдания гендерной системы, восприятия гендерного неравенства и сексизма

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Objective.</strong> Analysis of relationships between gender system justification, perceived gender inequality and ambivalent sexism in support for female candidates for the presidential post in Russia. <strong>Background.</strong> Human and gender development indices in Russia are considered to be very high in world rankings, however, promotion of women in politics and top management remains at a very low level, the Russian population is still prone to various biases towards women and their roles in society. Analysis of psychological mechanisms and factors restraining women’s empowerment is crucial to understand the lack of positive social change and barriers to quality attainment. <strong>Study design.</strong> The study examined relationships between gender system justifications, perceived gender inequality, hostile and benevolent sexism and respondents’ gender in support for female political candidates for presidency. Correlational online study using analysis of moderated mediation was conducted. <strong>Participants.</strong> Sample: N=1011 Russian respondents (48% male, 52% female) from 18 to 75 years old (M=35,1; SD=11,94). <strong>Measurements.</strong> Measures of system justification by J. Jost and A. Kay, Ambivalent sexism inventory by P. Glick and S. Fiske (both adapted to Russian by E. Agadullina), a question on perceived gender inequality in Russia («How would you evaluate gender inequality in Russia?») and a question about willingness to see a woman as a president of Russia («Would you like to see a woman as a president of Russia?»). <strong>Results.</strong> The direct association between gender system justification and support for a female politician was not found, however, indirect association through perceived gender inequality is significant: gender system justification leads to underestimation of inequality which in turn undermines willingness of the population to support female politicians. Ambivalent (benevolent and hostile) sexism hinders support for female politicians; benevolent (but not hostile) sexism contributes to underestimation of gender inequality in the society. Respondents’ gender does not moderate the studied relationships. <strong>Conclusions. </strong>Gender inequality perceived at low level as well as sexist attitudes are key factors restraining support for women in stereotypically unconventional fields (such as politics). Prevalence of sexist attitudes is one of the possible reasons why positive change is decelerated.</p>

Профили политической идентичности россиян: роль моральных оснований, оправдания системы и сопротивления изменениям

Objectives. To extract profiles of Russian political identity in terms of attitude to the conservative agenda, main ideologies, political parties, and institutions among Russians, as well as to identify the connections of these profiles with moral foundations and motivation for system justification and resistance to change. Subsequent analysis showing what is consolidating and what is divisive among the participants, as well as the key dimensions along which this split takes place.Background. A simple analysis of attitudes towards individual politicians and political parties and other subjects of politics does not allow to understand the relatively stable political views of Russians. At the same time, ideological closeness or disagreement is not psychologically accidental, even among those who are poorly versed in politics. There are always some pre-political psychological variables that reflect the predisposition of people to accept certain explicit ideological preferences that are reflected in specific profiles of political identity.Study design. Cross-sectional one-sample correlation design using data from socio-psychological survey. A person-centered approach was applied in the form of latent profile analysis.Participants. There were 224 participants in study 1 and 125 participants in study 2.Measurements. Moral foundations (Graham et al., 2011), attitude toward conservative agenda (Everett, 2013), system justification (Jost, 2015), resistance to change (White et al., 2020), feelings thermometer (Converse et al., 1980).Results. The greatest differences between the profiles of the Russian political identity were observed in the positive attitude toward capitalism, free market, and freedom of speech, as well as toward the president, patriotism, monarchy, military and national security. These differences were related to support for the current Russian political course and the manifestation of loyalty to it. The differences between the profiles were more related to the binding moral foundations, while the idea of fairness was equally important for Russians with any of the profiles found.Conclusions. Authoritarian submission can be considered a key psychological foundation of the Russian political identity. On the other hand, political views are differentiated by the choice between the demand for security (stabil’nost’) or development (i.e., accepting the risks of changes for the future development, or abandoning them in favor of security, stability, predictability of the current political course).

Life satisfaction and system justification among women in Japan

Life satisfaction and system justification among women in Japan

АНАЛИЗ ФАКТОРОВ, ВЛИЯЮЩИХ НА ФОРМИРОВАНИЕ СПРОСА И ПРЕДЛОЖЕНИЯ НА РЫНКЕ АВТОТЕХНИЧЕСКОГО СЕРВИСА В УСЛОВИЯХ БУРУНДИ

The objective of this article is to study the factors that influence the formation of supply and demand in the technical service market in the conditions of Burundi, in order to create the necessary technical and economic conditions for providing services in maintaining and improving performance’s level of Ground transport and technological means in the format of the developed system of Maintenance and repairs in Burundi. Based on the data obtained, it was fixed that if the offer of a technical service is of a lower quality, then it is replaced by a self-service system by car enthusiasts, which predetermines a number of negative social phenomena, the most significant of which is the low level of safety in the operation of ground transport technological means. These factors and all problems which directly relate to the working of the Maintenance and Repair system have been studied and evaluated. Based on the analysis of the information received, it was possible to form a group of criteria for the justification and development of an effective system of maintenance and repair for the conditions of Burundi.

Justification of the hydro-mechanical systems operating modes, used for restoring accumulation capacity of tailings storages

The paper describes the ways to extend the service life of tailings storage facilities by restoring their accumulation capacity. Analysis of the state-of-the-art experience in tailings management is provided. Restoring is carried out due to the following: storing of waste as paste-like slurry; raising embankment; intensifying wastewater treatment process in ponds by means of coagulation agents; selection of adequate alluviation maps mode; specifying parameters of surface and underwater alluvial beaches; implementing the separate storage of solid-phase fractions; preliminary pulp clarification in alluviation maps before supplying it to the pond. Due to the long length of the hydrotransport lines, the use of paste thickeners in the mining and processing plants of Kryvbas is impossible. These technologies are implemented at new storage facilities where waste is placed in the first tier. The aim of this study is to determine and substantiate parameters of hydro-mechanical systems during the operation of tailing facilities with temporary clarifiers. The study for the first time established relationship between the temporary pond operation time. There are such parameters as concentration and consumption of slurry, initial depth of the pond filling, barrier dam height and the length of alluvial front.

Sustainability of public transport in rural areas - Case study city of Jastrebarsko

The mobility of people in rural areas and low population density areas is sometimes difficult. This may be due to the inability of owning a means of transport as well as the inaccessibility of the public transport system. The development of public transport system in areas of low population density can be significant for ensuring mobility for all users. In this way, the quality of life in rural areas will increase. Numerous studies deal with the topic of introducing public transport systems in developed urban areas. In most cases, such systems have an economic calculation due to the large number of its users. On the other hand, there is a small number of studies that are dealing with the topic of introducing public transport systems in rural areas and sparsely populated areas. This paper analyzes the issue of introducing a public passenger transport system in rural areas with an emphasis on economic profitability and analyzes the economic indicators of the public transport system in detail. This paper also presents a case study of the public passenger transport system justification in the city of Jastrebarsko. Namely, a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) was prepared for the purposes of determining the financial and economic justification of the system and ultimately as a basis for obtaining co-financing from national and European Union funds. When calculating the basic financial and economic indicators of the cost-benefit analysis for the introduction of a public transport system of electric vehicles in the city of Jastrebarsko the influence of all measurable factors, both quantitative and qualitative, was included.

Связь веры в справедливость с типичностью комплементарных стереотипов богатых и бедных

Objective. Analysis of the contribution of complementary and non-complementary stereotypes and assessing their typicality in the level of belief in a just world (BJW) among employees of commercial and non-profit organizations.Background. Increasing economic inequality makes it relevant to study the relationship between the assessment of the world as just and the relationship to the rich and poor. According to the theory of system justification by J. Jost, people are motivated to support the status quo, including by relying on complementary stereotypes that combine desirable and undesirable qualities in one image. Research by A. Kay and J. Jost (2003) has shown that actualizing complementary stereotypes of the unhappy rich and the happy poor increases the level of the acquitting of systems. However, the nature of the impact of complementary stereotypes and non-complementary stereotypes on the belief in justice, depending on the initial just-world belief level, and the contribution of subjective assessment of the typicality of complementary stereotypes and non-complementary stereotypes to the just-world belief level remains poorly studied.Study design. A two-factor plan was used to analyze the contributions of the actualization of stereotypes and the place of work to the level of the just-world belief scales. The paper studied the dependence of the level of the just-world belief scales on the place of work of the respondents, the conditions of filling the questionnaire (after actualization of complementary stereotypes, non-complementary stereotypes, and without reading the texts), and the relative contribution to the level of the just-world belief scales of the conditions of filling the questionnaire and assessing the typicality. The method of analysis of variance was used to compare the just-world belief level in groups of employees of commercial and non-profit organizations under different filling conditions. Regression analysis was used to assess the contribution of gender, age, place of work, and the assessment of the typicality of complementary stereotypes and non-complementary stereotypes to the just-world belief level.Participants. 260 people, including 130 employees of non-profit organizations, 130 employees of commercial organizations, the average age was 36 years.Measurements. Vignettes with descriptions of complementary stereotypes and non-complementary stereotypes, the just-world belief questionnaire (S.K. Nartova-Bochaver et al., 2013).Results. For non-profit organizations employees, the level of both just-world belief scales decreases at non-complementary stereotypes actualization; for commercial organizations employees, it increases slightly at complementary stereotypes actualization in relation to the background. The level of BJW-others is determined only by the assessment of the typicality of complementary stereotypes. None of the considered predictors contributes to the BJW-self.Conclusions. The BJW-others is determined by a subjective assessment of the typicality of complementary stereotypes. The low level of BJW increases at complementary stereotypes actualization, and the high level of BJW decreases at non-complementary stereotypes actualization.

Analysis of Hate Speech and Hate Crimes From A Social Psychological Perspective: A Review

Hate crime and hate speech are extreme examples of negative intergroup relations. It is thought that it would be very useful to analyze the variables that lead up to for dealing with hate speech and crimes that have many physical and psychological destructive consequences for the exposed group members. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to address some of the social psychological variables associated with hate speech and hate crimes and to suggest solutions to reduce hate speech and hate crimes in this context. For this purpose, first of all, hate speech and hate crimes were defined and various examples were presented in this direction. Later, hate crimes and hate speech were examined in terms of social identity identification, social dominance orientation, system justification, realistic and symbolic threat perception, frustration and scapegoat concepts. The relationship between hate speech and crimes of this concept has been embodied with research findings and examples from various regions in Turkey and the world. Finally, some solution suggestions have been presented by making use of this theoretical knowledge in terms of combating hate crimes and hate speeches. Keywords: Hate crime, hate speech, intergroup relations, social psychology