Abstract
In this research, we investigated the relations among system justification, religiosity, and subjective well-being in a sample of nationally representative low-income respondents in the United States. We hypothesized that ideological endorsement of the status quo would be associated with certain existential and other psychological benefits, but these would not necessarily be evenly distributed across racial groups. Results revealed that religiosity was positively associated with subjective well-being in general, but the relationship between system justification and well-being varied considerably as a function of racial group membership. For low-income European Americans, stronger endorsement of system justification as an ideology was associated with increased positive affect, decreased negative affect, and a wide range of existential benefits, including life satisfaction and a subjective sense of security, meaning, and mastery. These findings are consistent with the notion that system justification satisfies psychological needs for personal control and serves a palliative function for its adherents. However, many of these effects were considerably weakened or even reversed for African American respondents. Thus, the psychological benefits associated with religiosity existed for both racial groups, whereas the benefits of system justification were distributed unequally across racial groups.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 312-333 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| Journal | Social Justice Research |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 2-3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 2009 |
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Keywords
- Existential motivation
- Ideology
- Religiosity
- System justification
- Well-being
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Sociology and Political Science
- Anthropology
- Law
Cite this
System justification and the meaning of life : Are the existential benefits of ideology distributed unequally across racial groups? / Rankin, Lindsay E.; Jost, John T.; Wakslak, Cheryl J.
In: Social Justice Research, Vol. 22, No. 2-3, 09.2009, p. 312-333.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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TY - JOUR
T1 - System justification and the meaning of life
T2 - Are the existential benefits of ideology distributed unequally across racial groups?
AU - Rankin, Lindsay E.
AU - Jost, John T.
AU - Wakslak, Cheryl J.
PY - 2009/9
Y1 - 2009/9
N2 - In this research, we investigated the relations among system justification, religiosity, and subjective well-being in a sample of nationally representative low-income respondents in the United States. We hypothesized that ideological endorsement of the status quo would be associated with certain existential and other psychological benefits, but these would not necessarily be evenly distributed across racial groups. Results revealed that religiosity was positively associated with subjective well-being in general, but the relationship between system justification and well-being varied considerably as a function of racial group membership. For low-income European Americans, stronger endorsement of system justification as an ideology was associated with increased positive affect, decreased negative affect, and a wide range of existential benefits, including life satisfaction and a subjective sense of security, meaning, and mastery. These findings are consistent with the notion that system justification satisfies psychological needs for personal control and serves a palliative function for its adherents. However, many of these effects were considerably weakened or even reversed for African American respondents. Thus, the psychological benefits associated with religiosity existed for both racial groups, whereas the benefits of system justification were distributed unequally across racial groups.
AB - In this research, we investigated the relations among system justification, religiosity, and subjective well-being in a sample of nationally representative low-income respondents in the United States. We hypothesized that ideological endorsement of the status quo would be associated with certain existential and other psychological benefits, but these would not necessarily be evenly distributed across racial groups. Results revealed that religiosity was positively associated with subjective well-being in general, but the relationship between system justification and well-being varied considerably as a function of racial group membership. For low-income European Americans, stronger endorsement of system justification as an ideology was associated with increased positive affect, decreased negative affect, and a wide range of existential benefits, including life satisfaction and a subjective sense of security, meaning, and mastery. These findings are consistent with the notion that system justification satisfies psychological needs for personal control and serves a palliative function for its adherents. However, many of these effects were considerably weakened or even reversed for African American respondents. Thus, the psychological benefits associated with religiosity existed for both racial groups, whereas the benefits of system justification were distributed unequally across racial groups.
KW - Existential motivation
KW - Ideology
KW - Religiosity
KW - System justification
KW - Well-being
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U2 - 10.1007/s11211-009-0100-9
DO - 10.1007/s11211-009-0100-9
M3 - Article
VL - 22
SP - 312
EP - 333
JO - Social Justice Research
JF - Social Justice Research
SN - 0885-7466
IS - 2-3
ER -