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Cognitive Dissonance And Its Effects On Our Lives
Cognitive Dissonance And Its Effects On Our Lives
Cognitive Dissonance And Its Effects On Our Lives
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Many North Americans are familiar with the show, What Would You Do? with host John Quiñones. The show hits sensitive topics ranging from race or gender discrimination, stealing, sexual or violence abuse, and many more. Then, the average citizen is put to the test to see if they have what it takes to respond to the situation. Sitting in the comfort of their homes, many people say that they would stand up and defend for justice, but it is easier to think that when one is not currently in the midst of the situation. People are quick to judge others and label people who do not respond as “bad people.” However, there are situations to consider. Take the Penn State University scandal for example. For decades, Jared Sandusky was able to hide his ugly, …show more content…
When graduate assistant, Mike McQueary, tells Penn State football coach Joe Paterno and then also Curley and Schultz, no report was made (Chappell). This is the start of where cognitive dissonance occurs. This case, much like the Milgram experiment, involved a step-by-step exposure. Throughout the span of the scandal, 1977 to 2012, there were small reports that came about here and there. It was first time the case failed to be questioned further, failed to do a more depth investigation, failed to go to trial is where cognitive dissonance occurs. Here the people involved have the attitude of watching out for children and their wellbeing, but their behavior of not questioning or reporting anything went against their attitude. This caused dissonance which can be undone by changing one’s attitude. Perhaps this was saying oh it was just “horseplay” or “not that big of a deal.” This statement starts the cycle of constantly not speaking up because then it would have meant that they were a “bad” since they chose not to report it the first time. Much like the participants in the Milgram experiment, it is easier to go about the routine and just keep on the path than to face the reality of the situation and why they did not do anything the first
When others start standing up or during some extreme cases related to people who are being oppressed they are automatically painted with the same stain as the others. During the witch trials John Proctor attempts to clear his wife’s name, “I have made a bell of my honor! I have rung the doom of my good name-you will believe me, Mr. Danforth! My wife is innocent…,” John tries to protect is wife by throw his name in the dirt but the court not only disregards his statements but labels him a wizard as well.
...n. Overall, the lessons learned from the Duke Lacrosse Case are important ones, and the media should always be wary to not judge too quickly.
In recent years several high profile national cases have brought hazing to the forefront in American society as a real issue and a problematic one at that. According to recent statistics from the University of Maine, 1.5 million high school students are hazed each year. Of the athletes who have reported hazing, 40% have reported that a coach or advisor was aware of the activity. 22% report that the coach was actually involved in the activities. (Allan & Madden, 2008). Moreover, 36% of students say they would not report hazing primarily because “there’s no one to tell,” and 27% feel that officials or coaches won’t handle the situation right. In additional research a survey was conducted in which coaches were questioned about whether they believe that hazing goes on in their community; 50% responded yes, that hazing was in fact going on. Of the coaches who responded 25% admitted that they themselves were hazed in some form at a younger age (“InsideHazing”, 2010). In light of these findings, the question of who should be responsible is raised. Specifically, it brings up the legal question of “whether a coach has a valid qualified immunity defense to a student athlete’s constitutional rights violation claim when the student is involved in a hazing incident.”
“I didn't want to do it..but then I did it”. A common phrase spoken by many who have experience cognitive dissonance. The Cognitive Dissonance theory deals with small occurrences that happen everyday, but for help with breaking down this theory, extreme examples help to explain the theory in better detail. In the movie Mean Girls, the plastics are evil & but their approval is what Cady desires which define her two conflicting beliefs. When she gets closer to them and acts like them, she tries to justify her action by saying she is just “spying” on them, this is said to reduce her cognitive dissonance, which in fact, she is turning into them. For example, if a person buys a really nice television, even though they can't really afford it ,but
The individual is constantly striving for consistency within oneself and around oneself. Humans seek order and regularity, from simple every-day routines to more complex political and social attitudes, and when a disruption, of any kind, occurs, it could lead to overwhelming, even dramatic situations, anxiety, and psychological discomfort. These disruptions are of interest to people, as much are the rules and consistencies in reality. Many choose to deviate from the norm, knowing the consequences of the inconsistencies they create. For instance: serial killers or recidivists. The psychologist Leon Festinger () writes that these inconsistencies could be rationalized and, therefore be perceived as consistent in a particular attitude or a system
Cognitive dissonance can be described as the feeling of discomfort resulting from holding two conflicting beliefs. It can also be said to be the mental conflict that occurs when beliefs or assumptions are contradicted by new information. A well-known psychologist Leon Festinger (1919–89), introduced this concept in the late 1950s where he proved that, when confronted with challenging new information; most people are observed to preserve their current understanding of the world by rejecting or avoiding the new information or by convincing themselves that no conflict really exists in one way or the other (Festinger, 04).
Cognitive dissonance is a theory presented by Leon Festinger’s in 1957. This theory suggested that we have an inner drive to hold our attitudes and beliefs in harmony. When we have two inconsistent cognitions this creates dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is physically uncomfortable to experience. There’s some negative physical tension that you feel any time you recognize two inconsistent thoughts or realize that you’ve done something through your behavior that contradicts you true attitudes and beliefs. Dissonance gets in the way of finding some sense of truth. In general, if we want to understand the world, then we want a clear, consistent picture of it. Anything that makes us feel inconsistency of something that’s a problem, and we are motivated to restore consistency again. We can restore
Sometimes it’s hard to see the bad in a person when all that is shown is the good. Trying to look for the truth about a person often times is hidden for that same reason because the person doesn’t want the terrible information to be found. The People vs. Larry Flynt gave a fake sense of good in a person without showing the whole person. When looking into Larry Flynt there were mixed opinions between the masses. Some said he was a wonderful guy while others said he was a horrible smut peddler. Larry Flynt exploited and abused his first amendment right.
When the public was informed of a potential cheating scandal at a Navy training command it immediately caused many questions
The way I would describe cognitive dissonance is contradicting with two different ideas or more. There could be a set of believe but then this could be broken when something else comes along. This can go different ways either by sticking with their first idea, reducing one idea or changing to the other idea.
“Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both” (Roosevelt). The goal of America’s legal system as we know it is that everyone is given an equal opportunity to stick up for what they may or may not have done, as described by former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Even though this is what officials strive for, it is not always the case. Facts can be skewed, distorted, or misrepresented to make one side seem to be guilty without a doubt and to make the other side seem as if they have done nothing wrong. The Crucible by Arthur Miller begins and ends with one-sided accusations of witchcraft.
Today, we see it everywhere. On reality tv, court tv, and even on the news. We are constantly required to judge peoples actions as just or unjust.
“In law a man is guilty when he violates the rights of others. In ethics he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so” (Immanuel Kant). This quote greatly explains how people feel whenever they take an action that goes against their beliefs. There is a constant struggle in the mind that tries to justify or rationalize the action in order for the individual to feel better. For example, if a janitor of a multimillion corporation is cleaning the office of his boss and suddenly notices that there is a stack of hundred dollar bills on the desk. The janitor steals one and then thinks, “No worries. My boss has millions of dollars. One hundred-dollar bill will make no impact in his wealth.” The janitor is then experiencing what is called cognitive dissonance because his boss rich and wealthy, making him part of the power elite, therefore justifying his actions.
Most individuals can attest to being too self-critical and have a pessimistic attitude towards a situation at a point in their lives. It is simple to assume that pessimistic attitudes and anxiety would be less effective in coping with stressful events, but studies indicate using defensive pessimism is effective in coping with anxiety and motivate performance (Norem and Cantor, ). Recent studies have demonstrated that rumination, or the tendency to dwell on a future event and rehearse all scenarios, is associated with negative emotions and depression. Individuals who are depressed or ruminate set low expectations on the situation at hand and cannot adapt or cope with the stress of the situation, thus avoiding or never achieving the goal (Spencer