Institutional Mind Traps are recurring institutional patterns through which accountability is evaded, suspended, or displaced. They are distinct from logical fallacies, although they are related to them. While logical fallacies distort reasoning, Institutional Mind Traps distort responsibility, conceal injustice, and prevent the public from seeing how power protects itself.
In Realpolitik, these traps often function as protective mechanisms of power. They help institutions evade responsibility, preserve the existing arrangement of power, and make injustice appear procedural, legal, normal, or unavoidable.