This talk was presented at the International Social Justice Research conference in 2021
Abstract: According to system justification theory, viewing the social system as just and fair provides a sense of order, meaning, and security, and thus serves a “palliative function,” insofar as it promotes subjective well-being. However, for members of disadvantaged groups, system justification could manifest in ways that are antithetical to well-being, such as internalized inferiority. In this work, we highlight how members of disadvantaged groups appear to resolve this conflict by employing another strategy—i.e., minimizing (or denying) the extent to which their group is a target for discrimination. Across six studies with data from six continents, we find that sexual minorities (Studies 1-3, N’s range from 151 to 3639) and women (Studies 4-6, N’s range from 627 to 15,313) who deny (vs. acknowledge) their group is subject to discrimination are happier and healthier, and this effect is mediated by holding a positive view of the system (Studies 1 & 4). We also show that this effect holds above and beyond having personally experienced discrimination (Studies 3 & 4), and in fact, denial of discrimination is more strongly related to well-being in places where discrimination is high (Studies 3 & 6).
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