False consciousness is a concept originating in Marxist social theory that refers to forms of awareness in which individuals or groups misrecognize the social relations, power structures, and material conditions that shape their lives. Rather than denoting simple ignorance or error, false consciousness describes a structurally produced mode of understanding through which existing relations of domination appear natural, inevitable, or beneficial. The concept has played a central role in theories of ideology, alienation, and social reproduction, and has been variously reworked within Western Marxism, critical theory, and critical psychology. While the notion has been criticized for its epistemic asymmetries and alleged paternalism, particularly the implication that some subjects possess privileged access to “true” social reality, it continues to offer analytical resources for examining how subjectivity, belief, and agency are shaped under conditions of power. In terms of empirical work, false consciousness remains relevant for interrogating the relationship between social structures and lived experience.