Theories Of Rationalisation Of The Status Quo

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a. Rationalisation of the status quo
When the likelihood of rationalization of the status quo increases in individuals, the process also enhances their tendency to desire predictable events. This proposition proposed by system justification theorists lay importance on the capacity of individuals towards a rationalization process, which further allows them to support the very social system to which they belong by considering it as stable and secure. Jost &Hunyady (2003) emphasize that it is quite normal for individuals to come to terms with the predictable future outcomes. At the same time, individuals also have this capacity to accommodate their adverse past experiences that is in particular related to unwelcome opportunities and outcomes in life. This remarkable ability of individuals, as explained by Jost (1995) “may help to explain why social and political systems are successful at retaining cooperation and consent and why social change is so difficult to accomplish.” To strengthen this argument Kay et al. (2002), further theorized that individuals would engage in a rationalisation of the existing social system, whether or not they were personally responsible for bringing it and whether they
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This contention became central for system justification theory to hypothesize that the legitimization needs of the system would be best served by individuals when they are anticipating likely outcomes and

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