False Consciousness: In classical Marxist terms, being possessed by all the other "-isms" which do not acknowledge their ideological projects and hide behind implicit claims of "naturalness" or "rightness" that never can be rationally explained.  One is in a state of false consciousness whenever one's mind accepts the "naturalness" of ideologies that really are the products of material historical circumstances and that disguise their control over one's thought by pretending to that illusion of being the "natural order of things."  Such ideologies draw one's attention away from the socio-economic facts governing one's condition and toward the pursuit of notions like "the American Dream" of self-improvement achieved solely by individualistic effort, pursuit of temporary satisfaction of falsely constructed needs by means of Consumerism, or belief in false ideological systems like "Patriotism," "Classism," and "Religion."  While one pursues the mythic satisfactions of the "Dream," placates one's true desires with purchases advertising conditions one to desire, or chants the slogans of Patriotism, Classism, or Religion, the people who really run the culture, like politicians, business owners, aristocrats, and religious leaders, grow richer and more powerful.