Article Version of Record

Social Cognition and Democracy: The Relationship Between System Justification, Just World Beliefs, Authoritarianism, Need for Closure, and Need for Cognition in Hungary

Author(s) / Creator(s)

Kelemen, László
Szabó, Zsolt Péter
Mészáros, Noémi Zsuzsanna
László, János
Forgas, Josef P.

Abstract / Description

This research was aimed at examining just-world beliefs, system justification, authoritarianism, and cognitive style in a nationally representative sample (N = 1000) in Hungary, and at relating these phenomena to various demographic and political variables to find out whether the findings in Hungary would differ from its Western counterparts. According to system justification theory, there is a psychological motive to defend and justify the status quo. This theory has been tested several times in North American and Western European samples. The core finding of our study was that Hungarian people, unlike people in Western democracies, did not justify the existing establishment. There was strong pessimism with regard to the idea that the system serves the interests of the people. Members of disadvantaged groups (people with low economic income and/or far right political preference) strongly rejected the system. System justification beliefs were moderately related to just world beliefs, and there was a significant relationship between some aspects of need for closure (need for order, discomfort with ambiguity, and closed-mindedness) and authoritarian beliefs. Need for cognition was only related to one aspect of need for closure: closed-mindedness. The voters of right-wing parties did not display higher levels of authoritarianism than the voters of the left social-democrat party. The role of demographic and political variables, limitations, and possible developments of this research are discussed.

Keyword(s)

just-world hypothesis system justification cognitive style need for closure authoritarianism

Persistent Identifier

Date of first publication

2014-09-30

Journal title

Journal of Social and Political Psychology

Volume

2

Issue

1

Page numbers

197–219

Publisher

PsychOpen GOLD

Publication status

publishedVersion

Review status

peerReviewed

Is version of

Citation

Kelemen, L., Szabó, Z. P., Mészáros, N. Z., László, J., & Forgas, J. P. (2014). Social Cognition and Democracy: The Relationship Between System Justification, Just World Beliefs, Authoritarianism, Need for Closure, and Need for Cognition in Hungary. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 2(1), 197–219. https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.v2i1.208
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Kelemen, László
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Szabó, Zsolt Péter
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Mészáros, Noémi Zsuzsanna
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    László, János
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Forgas, Josef P.
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2018-11-26T12:44:46Z
  • Made available on
    2018-11-26T12:44:46Z
  • Date of first publication
    2014-09-30
  • Abstract / Description
    This research was aimed at examining just-world beliefs, system justification, authoritarianism, and cognitive style in a nationally representative sample (N = 1000) in Hungary, and at relating these phenomena to various demographic and political variables to find out whether the findings in Hungary would differ from its Western counterparts. According to system justification theory, there is a psychological motive to defend and justify the status quo. This theory has been tested several times in North American and Western European samples. The core finding of our study was that Hungarian people, unlike people in Western democracies, did not justify the existing establishment. There was strong pessimism with regard to the idea that the system serves the interests of the people. Members of disadvantaged groups (people with low economic income and/or far right political preference) strongly rejected the system. System justification beliefs were moderately related to just world beliefs, and there was a significant relationship between some aspects of need for closure (need for order, discomfort with ambiguity, and closed-mindedness) and authoritarian beliefs. Need for cognition was only related to one aspect of need for closure: closed-mindedness. The voters of right-wing parties did not display higher levels of authoritarianism than the voters of the left social-democrat party. The role of demographic and political variables, limitations, and possible developments of this research are discussed.
    en_US
  • Publication status
    publishedVersion
  • Review status
    peerReviewed
  • Citation
    Kelemen, L., Szabó, Z. P., Mészáros, N. Z., László, J., & Forgas, J. P. (2014). Social Cognition and Democracy: The Relationship Between System Justification, Just World Beliefs, Authoritarianism, Need for Closure, and Need for Cognition in Hungary. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 2(1), 197–219. https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.v2i1.208
    en_US
  • ISSN
    2195-3325
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/1327
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.1707
  • Language of content
    eng
  • Publisher
    PsychOpen GOLD
  • Is version of
    https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.v2i1.208
  • Keyword(s)
    just-world hypothesis
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    system justification
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    cognitive style
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    need for closure
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    authoritarianism
    en_US
  • Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)
    150
  • Title
    Social Cognition and Democracy: The Relationship Between System Justification, Just World Beliefs, Authoritarianism, Need for Closure, and Need for Cognition in Hungary
    en_US
  • DRO type
    article
  • Issue
    1
  • Journal title
    Journal of Social and Political Psychology
  • Page numbers
    197–219
  • Volume
    2
  • Visible tag(s)
    Version of Record