COGNITIVE PARSIMONY AND LEGITIMIZATION OF SOCIAL INJUSTICES:
BELIEF IN THE JUST WORLD AND LATIN AMERICAN FATALISM
Alicia Barreiro - Elena Zubieta (2011)
Summary:
In this paper, we address a topic specific to social psychology: common sense knowledge. We analyze the different beliefs that
allow people to feel that they are in control or not of the environment in which they live, focusing on the belief in the just world
and Latin American fatalism. Both beliefs, in their psychological origin, are based on the need to control the environment and, in
their content, fulfill the function of legitimizing the social order and maintaining the status quo. We conclude that the complexity
of this type of study implies the need for interdisciplinary studies that link various levels of analysis to understand how
psychological mechanisms are related to historical-social processes, shaping a vision of reality for different social groups.
INTRODUCTION
In this work, we address a topic specific to social psychology: the construction of the knowledge that subjects use on a daily basis
to make sense of social reality and orient themselves in it, known as common sense knowledge. According to Doise, one of the
main tensions in social psychology research is to maintain the articulation between the individual and society without leaning too
much towards one or the other pole, an approach known as psychological social psychology and sociological social psychology.
Doise distinguishes four different levels of analysis: the intra-individual level, where individual cognitive mechanisms in the
development of social phenomena are described; the inter-individual level, which focuses on the dynamics and characteristics of
interactions between individuals; the positional level, which gives relevance to the positions and social differences prior to the
situation under study; and the ideological level, which attempts to account for the collective belief systems, representations, and
values involved in interactions.
Using these levels as an analytical tool, we consider the different beliefs that allow people to feel that they are in control or not in
control of the environment in which they live. We address in detail two beliefs that are based on the need to control the
environment and that legitimize the social order and maintain the status quo: the belief in the just world and Latin American
fatalism. We analyze the psychological mechanisms involved in its genesis and its intertwining with the dominant ideology. Finally,
we advocate an approach to these psychosocial phenomena that maintains the tension between the contributions of individuals
and those of society as a whole, avoiding reductionist explanations.
COGNITIVE PARSIMONY, BASIC BELIEFS, AND CONTROL OF THE ENVIRONMENT
In our study of beliefs about environmental control, we focus on a central theme of social psychology: how people construct and
maintain beliefs to make their environment more predictable and less threatening. This area of research continues to be crucial
because it profoundly affects how we perceive and relate to the world around us.
Research such as that of Páez, Zubieta and Mayordomo (2004) and Sastry and Ross (1998) underlines that the human need for
justice and to make the world predictable has evolutionary roots, as suggested by De Waal (2007). Parkes (1975) and Janoff-Bulman
(1992) have theorized about how people develop basic conceptual systems that allow them to function efficiently and form
expectations about the world and themselves.
These fundamental beliefs are grouped into three main categories according to Páez, Morales, and Fernández (2007): beliefs about
the benevolence of the world, about personal dignity, and about the meaning of the world. These beliefs are essential because
they help maintain people's emotional coherence and self-esteem.
The study of environmental control also involves understanding Rotter's (1966) locus of control theories, which differentiate
between individuals with an internal and external locus of control, influenced by their experiences and social context. Research
shows how historical and cultural factors affect these beliefs, as evidenced by studies of the shift toward a more external locus of
control in young Americans from the 1960s to 2002 (Twenge, Zhang, & Im, 2004).
In short, we advocate for a comprehensive approach that recognizes the complexity of these beliefs and their impact on both an
individual and societal level. This approach allows us to better understand how people construct their reality and respond to the
challenges of their environment, avoiding simplistic explanations and promoting a deeper understanding of the interaction
between individual psychology and socio-cultural contexts.
1
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BELIEF IN THE JUST WORLD AND LATIN AMERICAN FATALISM
Alicia Barreiro - Elena Zubieta (2011)
Summary:
In this paper, we address a topic specific to social psychology: common sense knowledge. We analyze the different beliefs that
allow people to feel that they are in control or not of the environment in which they live, focusing on the belief in the just world
and Latin American fatalism. Both beliefs, in their psychological origin, are based on the need to control the environment and, in
their content, fulfill the function of legitimizing the social order and maintaining the status quo. We conclude that the complexity
of this type of study implies the need for interdisciplinary studies that link various levels of analysis to understand how
psychological mechanisms are related to historical-social processes, shaping a vision of reality for different social groups.
INTRODUCTION
In this work, we address a topic specific to social psychology: the construction of the knowledge that subjects use on a daily basis
to make sense of social reality and orient themselves in it, known as common sense knowledge. According to Doise, one of the
main tensions in social psychology research is to maintain the articulation between the individual and society without leaning too
much towards one or the other pole, an approach known as psychological social psychology and sociological social psychology.
Doise distinguishes four different levels of analysis: the intra-individual level, where individual cognitive mechanisms in the
development of social phenomena are described; the inter-individual level, which focuses on the dynamics and characteristics of
interactions between individuals; the positional level, which gives relevance to the positions and social differences prior to the
situation under study; and the ideological level, which attempts to account for the collective belief systems, representations, and
values involved in interactions.
Using these levels as an analytical tool, we consider the different beliefs that allow people to feel that they are in control or not in
control of the environment in which they live. We address in detail two beliefs that are based on the need to control the
environment and that legitimize the social order and maintain the status quo: the belief in the just world and Latin American
fatalism. We analyze the psychological mechanisms involved in its genesis and its intertwining with the dominant ideology. Finally,
we advocate an approach to these psychosocial phenomena that maintains the tension between the contributions of individuals
and those of society as a whole, avoiding reductionist explanations.
COGNITIVE PARSIMONY, BASIC BELIEFS, AND CONTROL OF THE ENVIRONMENT
In our study of beliefs about environmental control, we focus on a central theme of social psychology: how people construct and
maintain beliefs to make their environment more predictable and less threatening. This area of research continues to be crucial
because it profoundly affects how we perceive and relate to the world around us.
Research such as that of Páez, Zubieta and Mayordomo (2004) and Sastry and Ross (1998) underlines that the human need for
justice and to make the world predictable has evolutionary roots, as suggested by De Waal (2007). Parkes (1975) and Janoff-Bulman
(1992) have theorized about how people develop basic conceptual systems that allow them to function efficiently and form
expectations about the world and themselves.
These fundamental beliefs are grouped into three main categories according to Páez, Morales, and Fernández (2007): beliefs about
the benevolence of the world, about personal dignity, and about the meaning of the world. These beliefs are essential because
they help maintain people's emotional coherence and self-esteem.
The study of environmental control also involves understanding Rotter's (1966) locus of control theories, which differentiate
between individuals with an internal and external locus of control, influenced by their experiences and social context. Research
shows how historical and cultural factors affect these beliefs, as evidenced by studies of the shift toward a more external locus of
control in young Americans from the 1960s to 2002 (Twenge, Zhang, & Im, 2004).
In short, we advocate for a comprehensive approach that recognizes the complexity of these beliefs and their impact on both an
individual and societal level. This approach allows us to better understand how people construct their reality and respond to the
challenges of their environment, avoiding simplistic explanations and promoting a deeper understanding of the interaction
between individual psychology and socio-cultural contexts.
1
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