Inequality or Dignity? Domain-Specific System Justification and the Palliative Minimization of Perceived Discrimination Among Minoritized Groups in Chile
No. 95 (2026-01-31)Author(s)
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Joaquín BahamondesUniversidad Católica del Norte, ChileORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3777-8233
Abstract
This article examines the psychological mechanisms through which system-justifying beliefs mitigate the adverse effects of perceived discrimination on well-being among members of historically marginalized groups in Chile. Borrowing from the status-legitimacy hypothesis and System Justification Theory, the analyses test whether beliefs legitimizing the sociopolitical order can fulfill a palliative function— particularly when they correspond to the specific dimension of injustice most salient to a given social identity. Two studies were conducted involving women and Mapuche participants, both of whom occupy structurally disadvantaged positions in Chilean society. In Study 1 (N = 1,046), robust findings previously observed in WEIRD contexts were replicated, demonstrating that system-justifying beliefs—operationalized through gender- and ethnicity-specific systemic fairness appraisals—moderate the relationship between group status and well-being by attenuating perceptions of discrimination among the socially disadvantaged. Results from follow-up moderated mediation models show that stronger system-justifying beliefs reduce the perceived discrimination gap between disadvantaged and advantaged participants, thereby narrowing disparities in well-being. Study 2 (N= 777) extends this work by unpacking which specific system fairness domain—distributive equality, respect and dignity, and tradition—are most predictive of perceived discrimination (or lack thereof). Employing semantic differential items and quadratic regression models, findings show that, for women, the minimi zation of gender-based discrimination aligns with moderate views on distributive justice. Among Mapuche participants, however, perceived dignity and societal respect are more central in explaining attenuated discrimination perceptions. Together, these findings offer novel evidence that the palliative effects of ideology are domain-specific. They underscore the need to disaggregate system legitimacy into its component parts in order to better understand the psychological dynamics of ideological coping. By contex tualizing these mechanisms within a Latin American society, this research advances theoretical accounts of system justification and highlights how distinct identity groups legitimize inequality by clinging onto different domains of system fairness.
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