People justify social hierarchy even when it harms their own group

Evidence

Preferring higher-status groups over one’s own (lower-status) ingroup, and self-stereotyping on negative group attributes, are consistent with theories that posit that people justify the existing social structure, even when so doing goes against self-enhancement or group-enhancement concerns (see Jost & Hamilton, ch. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 960

Categorization

• DEFINE: Sketch of system justification theory — its core counterintuitive premise stated in one sentence.
• XREF: connects to: Stereotypes legitimize existing social hierarchy even against people’s own interests — Susan T. Fiske et al., A Model of (Often Mixed) Stereotype…, 43; People prefer elevated rank within hierarchy over egalitarian equal respect — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 61