Redefining success as occupational merit denies class status’s self-esteem threat

Evidence

A second device for reducing the importance of class position is to deny its importance. This is not to deny the importance of getting ahead, but to limit this to the problem of job classification, or occupational choice—nothing so damaging to the selfesteem as an ordering of persons on a class scale. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2169

Categorization

• DEFINE: Identifies denial as a defensive tactic distinct from simply not caring about advancement.
• XREF: connects to: Meritocracy is a fairy tale masking class as individual choice — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 222; The myth of meritocracy makes Americans deny class differences — Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education: Toward Diverse,…, 914; Class background shapes whether students believe their voices deserve academic respect — bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as…, 285