Definition: False consciousness is a term that refers - especially in Marxist thought - to the mismatch between perceptions , values , views and ideology of human beings and their position in the class social system . False consciousness is expressed when an ideology controls the consciousness of an oppressed person or oppressed group, in a way that justifies or preserves the oppression.
The consciousness and experience according to Karl Marx derivatives being. Although Marx himself probably never used the phrase, and it first appears in the writings of Friedrich Engels , according to the Marxist conception, the upper class has personal interests which create a false consciousness in the lower class and in the proletariat , the so-called " opium for the masses ". This consciousness is created by the interests of the upper class - the bourgeoisie - to preserve its place.
Marx believed that true consciousness is Class Consciousness. The state of the individual in the social structure determines his consciousness, and in the structure there are two classes - upper and lower. The determination of consciousness is made through the production relationship between the work of the individual and the ownership of capital . Marx argued that this consciousness would inevitably change and lead to a change in structure. The revolution stems from the workers and their consciousness that stems from materialism and from the historical conflict that underlies society .
For example, views on the importance of cultivating a free economy among people who have no control over means of production or production processes (such as a junior bank clerk , seamstresses in a textile factory or construction workers) are views of false consciousness, according to Marx. These views supposedly contribute to the continued exploitation of people in their position and are much more appropriate for their superiors and managers.
The false consciousness can explain why human beings living in a modern capitalist system are acting contrary to their seemingly true interests.