Some legitimizing myths (socialism, feminism, the Declaration) actively reduce group-based inequality.

Evidence

The set of beliefs, values, ideologies, and attitudes known as hierarchy-attenuating LMs have social functions directly contradicting HE-LMs. While HE-LMs serve to exacerbate and maintain group-based social inequality, HA-LMs serve to promote greater levels of group-based social egalitarianism. Examples of HA-LMs are as readily available as HE-LMs. They are political doctrines such as socialism, communism, feminism, the universal rights of man, and major themes in the American Declaration of Independence, and even portions of the New Testament. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 3220

Categorization

• DEFINE: Introduces the HA-LM concept, the second half of the hierarchy-attenuating vs enhancing typology that frames the book’s social dominance theory.