Negative Illusions: Conceptual Clarification and Psychological Evidence Concerning False Consciousness
Author(s)
Jost, John T.
Abstract
Reviews the concept of false consciousness (FC) from a historical perspective and discusses FC in light of recent theoretical advances in socialist and feminist political philosophy. FC is defined as the holding of false beliefs that are contrary to one’s social interest and which thereby contribute to the disadvantaged position of the self or the group. It is argued that considerable psychological evidence for FC exists and that a thorough understanding of the phenomenon integrates several lines of research on the problem of political acquiescence. Six types of FC are proposed: failure to perceive injustice and disadvantage, fatalism, justification of social roles, false attribution of blame, identification with the oppressor, and resistance to change. Because FC is likely to arouse suspicion because of its Marxist origins, several theoretical and methodological objections to the psychological study of FC are addressed.
