System Justification Theory
The system doesn't work for you. But you'll defend it anyway — because the alternative is admitting there's no one in charge who has your interests at heart.
System justification is the psychological tendency to defend and rationalise the existing social, economic, and political order, even when it clearly disadvantages you. People don't do this because they're stupid. They do it because believing the system is fundamentally broken is terrifying. If the game is rigged, then your efforts might be meaningless, your success might be luck, and your suffering might be nobody's fault and nobody's priority. That's an unbearable thought. So the brain rejects it.
This shows up everywhere. Workers defend the interests of corporations that underpay them. Voters support policies that benefit the wealthy at their own expense. People who are struggling blame themselves rather than question the structure. "The system works — I just need to try harder." That belief is comforting, and completely untestable, which is why it survives contact with any amount of contradictory evidence.
The most effective systems of control don't need force. They just need people to believe the system is fair. Once that belief is in place, the people at the bottom will police themselves — and attack anyone who suggests the game might be rigged.
References
- John Jost — A Theory of System Justification (2020)
- Melvin Lerner — The Belief in a Just World (1980)