Stripped of illusions? Exploring system justification processes in capitalist and post-Communist societies

Abstract

Sociologists and political scientists have often observed that citizens of Central and Eastern Europe express high levels of disillusionment with their social, economic and political systems, in comparison with citizens of Western capitalist societies. In this review, we analyze system legitimation and delegitimation in post-Communist societies from a social psychological perspective. We draw on system justification theory, which seeks to understand how, when and why people do (and do not) defend, bolster and justify existing social systems. We review some of the major tenets and findings of the theory and compare research on system-justifying beliefs and ideologies in traditionally Capitalist and post-Communist countries to determine: (1) whether there are robust differences in the degree of system justification in post-Communist and Capitalist societies, and (2) the extent to which hypotheses derived from system justification theory receive support in the post-Communist context. To this end, we summarize research findings from over 20 countries and cite previously unpublished data from a public opinion survey conducted in Poland. Our analysis confirms that there are lower levels of system justification in post-Communist countries. At the same time, we find that system justification possesses similar social and psychological antecedents, manifestations and consequences in the two types of societies. We offer potential explanations for these somewhat complicated patterns of results and conclude by addressing implications for theory and research on system justification and system change (or transition).

On the Grammar of Politics—or Why Conservatives Prefer Nouns

“…It is conceivable that the need for non-specific closure would be especially important when political systems are in transition, as in post-Communist Poland. Even after 20 years, public opinion carries considerable ambivalence about the previous and current social systems in Poland (Cichocka & Jost, 2014). Study 1 was conducted with university students, who are less likely to have experienced Communism themselves.…”

“…Political orientation was measured with three items tapping into general (1 = definitely left to 9 = definitely right), economic (1 = definitely socialist to 9 = definitely free market), and social (1 = definitely liberal to 9 = definitely conservative) dimensions of ideology (Cichocka & Jost, 2014). Because the social and economic dimensions tend to be fairly distinct in the Polish context (Golec, 2001;Kossowska & van Hiel, 2003), we created two separate indices of political orientation.…”

‘They will not control us’: Ingroup positivity and belief in intergroup conspiracies

“…The survey included three items measuring ideological selfplacement in terms of general, social and economic issues (Cichocka & Jost, 2014). In the Polish context the social and economic dimensions tend to be separate, with the former being more relevant for differentiation between left and right wing individuals (Golec, 2001;Kossowska & van Hiel, 2003).…”

Social representations of governance for change towards sustainability: perspectives of sustainability advocates

“…Our argument is that a psychological approach to examining sustainability governance is important and relevant, not least because people's understandings will shape their practices, including oneoff behaviour such as voting as well as reactions to governance arrangements in everyday behaviour (e.g. Cichoka and Jost 2014). However, to date, little research has unpacked and analysed people's understandings of environmental governance.…”