Final answer:
Karl Marx used the concept of False consciousness to explain why individuals might support a capitalist system that does not benefit them, by adopting the ideology of the dominant capitalist class that prevents them from challenging the system.
Step-by-step explanation:
Karl Marx used the concept of False consciousness to explain why people who do not benefit from a capitalist system would still support it. False consciousness refers to a condition in which the beliefs, ideals, or ideology of a person are not in the person's own best interest, but rather are the imposed ideologies of the dominant capitalist class. This could include ideas such as the merit of competition and hard work as a reward in itself, which serve the interests of the capitalist bourgeoisie by keeping the working class (proletariat) from questioning their societal roles or the structure of the capitalist system.
By promoting a class consciousness, Marx believed workers could become a 'class for itself,' recognizing their shared interests and potential for collective action to achieve social change. This awareness stands in contrast to false consciousness, which keeps the proletariat complicit in their own exploitation by making them see themselves not as an active political force but as isolated individuals solely responsible for their own conditions.