Final answer:
Legitimizing myths are the sets of attitudes and beliefs that are used to justify one's dominant position in society. They form part of the hegemonic ideology that supports the existing social order and can lead to discrimination.
Step-by-step explanation:
The answer to the student's question, '_________ are sets of attitudes and beliefs that are used to justify one's dominant position in society' is legitimizing myths. These myths form part of an ideology that helps to create and maintain social and power structures within a society.
The dominant group uses these beliefs to legitimize its hold on power and to justify the social, economic, and political status quo.
An ideology includes ideas, values, and symbols that become the hegemonic 'common sense' worldview of nearly all people within a society, supporting the existing social order.
This ideology often manifests in the belief that certain racial categories are superior or inferior to others, leading to social phenomena such as ethnocentrism, and can drive exclusionary practices that result in discrimination.