Sour Grapes, Sweet Lemons, and the Anticipatory Rationalization of the Status Quo
Author(s)
Kay, Aaron C.; Jimenez, Maria C.; Jost, John T.
Abstract
Integrating theories of cognitive dissonance, system justification, and dynamic thought systems, the authors hypothesized that people would engage in anticipatory rationalization of sociopolitical outcomes for which they were not responsible. In two studies, the authors found that people adjusted their judgments of the desirability of a future event to make them congruent with its perceived likelihood, but only when the event triggered motivational involvement. Under conditions evoking high motivational involvement, unfavorable as well as favorable outcomes were judged to be more desirable as their perceived likelihood increased.
