Defenders of unfair systems can be disrupted by explicit attention

Evidence

System-justification may occur more frequently when judgements are made implicitly or out of conscious awareness. By focusing attention explicitly on issues pertaining to the system of social arrangements, it may be possible to avoid the consequences of system-justification, as researchers have found with respect to stereotyping in general (Greenwald & Banaji, 1993). A fifth and final factor which may make systemjustification more likely is the insidiousness of the system. Somewhat paradoxically, it may be that the more painful, humiliating, or unfair a system is, the more it evokes the system-justification response, as cognitive dissonance researchers found when investigating the effects of initiation rites (e.g.. Aronson & Mills, 1959; Gerard & Mathewson, 1966). — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2939 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Although our experiments deliver mostly bad news, a silver lining still exists, for not everyone reacts in the same defensive manner exemplified by the use of moral disengagement strategies. And as discussed earlier, our morality shifting model is not deterministic when it comes to the influence of behavior. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2151 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Unconscious bias affects even well-intentioned opposing-counsel defenders — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 665; Unconscious judgment and system harshness both paradoxically increase system-justification — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2939; Comunitarian resistance to change masks defense of present hierarchy — Russell Hardin, Trust and Trustworthiness, 869 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Unconscious judgment and system harshness both paradoxically increase system-justification #complicates (0.82) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2939
• Defensive moral disengagement after in-group wrongdoing is not universal or deterministic #complicates (0.71) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2151