Film Theory: Habermas Legitimation Crisis–Definition

Legitimation Crisis

Jill Kasen (1980):

According to Habermas (1975), the legitimation crisis potentially characterizes all advanced capitalistic societies.

Legitimation crisis is an identity crisis of a political system, as a consequences of “the fundamental contradiction” of capitalism.  It occurs when the legitimation system fails to supply a sufficient amount of generalized motivation.

“Legitimation crisis is based on a motivation crisis, that is, a discrepancy between the need for motives declared by the state, the educational system, and the occupational system on the one hand, and the motivation supplied by the socio-cultural system on the other.’ (q975, p. 75).