Cognitive Dissonance Cognitive dissonance is a theory defined as “the discomfort people feel when two cognitions (beliefs, attitudes) conflict, or when they behave in ways that are inconsistent with their conception of themselves” (Aronson, 2016, pg. 158). This, in turn, causes discomfort that can be difficult to ease. Some basic ways to reduce cognitive dissonance are: Realign our behavior with the dissonant condition, justify our behavior by changing one of the dissonant behaviors, justify our
theory of cognitive dissonance started as a very simple observation by Leon Festinger that people do not like to deal with inconsistency. This simple observation led to the development of a theory that became very controversial, and it would be this controversy that propelled the theory forward. Many years of research has led to many different ideas of what cognitive dissonance really is and why it actually occurs. Festinger developed the term cognitions while developing his theory on cognitive dissonance
ways that are inconsistent with the conception of ourselves? This is called the theory of cognitive dissonance. According to the textbook cognitive dissonance is “the discomfort that people feel when two cognitions (beliefs, attitudes) conflict, or when they behave in ways that are inconsistent with their conception of themselves (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, Sommers, 2013, pg.158). The theory of cognitive dissonance is vitally important in social psychology because it is centered on how people try to become
Cognitive dissonance is at the heart of all spirituality. There is a need for humans to have a belief in something bigger than ourselves. Civilizations have a need for structure and stability to help them thrive, at the heart of all civilizations is religion. There is danger in having absolute faith and very thin line between spiritual beliefs and a dangerous cults. If someone is under stress, they fight even harder to hold onto their belief as outlandish or different it maybe. The cause of Conative
followed by an internal struggle for some semblance of balance or consistency (Hall, 1998). Cognitive dissonance acts as motivation for people to behave in a manner that effectively reduces said dissonance and restores balance. Leon Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance explores this occurrence and the subsequent actions that people take in order to create a balance between their ideals. Cognitive dissonance looks at the way people combat contradictions within their minds by actively seeking consistency
Cognitive Dissonance with School Prayer On June 17th, 1963 school prayer was taken out of public schools because of a Supreme Court ruling that all students shouldn’t be subjected to prayer. As a result of this ruling, the teaching of the character and belief of the founding fathers, which played a large part in our country’s history, quickly decreased. Although never mentioned, the Supreme Court’s ruling suggested to the public that prayer in public schools was incongruent with the beliefs
social event. While deciding to go to the party instead, it leads me in a state of tension as the party time can be well spent on studying for the final exam next morning. This state of uneasiness or tension is easily understood as Cognitive Dissonance. Cognitive Dissonance Theory, developed by Leon Festinger (1957), is concerned with the relationships among cognitions (Festinger, 1957). In this context, cognition can be perceived as a piece of knowledge that may inscribe an element of an attitude,
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
two or more candidates: a choice that bears international significance and impacts individuals. Recognizing the salience of political elections, scholars have used elections as a natural context in which to study Leon Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance, which addresses how people try to avoid or reduce psychological discomfort in decision-making, as a theoretical interpretive framework to understand political attitudes pre- and post-election. While scholars have applied Festinger’s selective
Cognitive Dissonance and Advertising Advertising deals with people’s feelings and emotions. It includes understanding of the psychology of the buyer, his motives, attitudes, as well as the influences on him such as his family and reference groups, social class and culture. In order to increase the advertisements persuasiveness, advertisers use many types of extensions of behavioural sciences to marketing and buying behaviour. One such extension is the theory of cognitive dissonance. The purpose
This was asserted by the much acclaimed, significant, and influential social psychologist Leon Festinger as referencing to his theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Social psychology is “a branch of psychology particularly concerned with understanding social behaviors such as” incentive and compliance (Sheehy). Festinger’s contributions to the social and cognitive branches of psychology as well psychology overall prove themselves worthy to today. This theory specifically challenged many common notions
increasing forms of bullying can be assessed by two theories, the Uncertainty Reduction Theory, and the Cognitive Dissonance Theory. The Uncertainty Reduction Theory focuses on how human communication is used to gain knowledge and create understanding. The Cognitive Dissonance Theory talks about how people take bits of knowledge and are more likely to eliminate the bad experiences. Cognitive dissonance is preventable based on the interactions teenagers have with each other. “By using the Uncertainty
The theory of Cognitive Dissonance states that when individuals are presented with information that implies we act in a way that contradicts our moral standards, we experience discomfort (Aronson, Wilson, and Akert, 1998, P. 191). This is considered Cognitive Dissonance, A psychological term used to describe mental conflict that occurs when beliefs or assumptions are contradicted by new information; arouses unease or tension; relieved by one of several defensive maneuvers: rejecting, explaining away
People experience cognitive dissonance on a day-to-day basis at varying strengths. Think about the number of times that you have felt conflicted with a choice or in a situation in your life. Some choices or events weigh heavily on our consciousness because of the prominence of the decision that must be made, while others may be less significant. Think about an addiction you may have such as smoking, or chocolate candy. I love chocolate candy but face cognitive dissonance when I am faced with the
theory of Cognitive Dissonance provides insight into the classic conundrum of knowing or believing one thing and doing another. An artifact analysis of this theory, using the ABC Family television series Gilmore Girls, will supply a clearer understanding of the complicated phenomena. Cognitive Dissonance Described American social psychologist and original developer of the theory of Cognitive Dissonance Leon Festinger breaks down his theory into two main parts. First, the presence of dissonance, inconsistency
actions they commit. Such internal conflict is defined by Leon Festinger as cognitive dissonance: “a psychological state in which an individual’s cognitions—beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors—are at odds” (Bloom, Santos, & Egan, 2007, p. 978). Sendhil Mullainathan and Ebonya Washington (2009) describe cognitive dissonance as “the internal need for consistency” (p. 86). Mullainathan and Washington exemplify cognitive dissonance as occurring when “[an] individual…unconsciously [changes] his beliefs to
An Examination of Festinger's Cognitive Dissonance Theory and Notable Modifications Sometimes the greatest test of a theory is its longevity. Over time, some theories will be disproved, some will be modified, and some will become the basis for a whole new group of theories. Leon Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance has stood up to challenge for over forty years, and is considered by many to be the single most important theory of social psychology. Though there have been modifications
inconsistent with each other and cause a distressing contradiction known as cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is the distressing mental state caused by an inconsistency between a person’s two beliefs or a belief and an action (Griffin 2006). People have an instinctual desire to keep their actions and beliefs in harmony and when they are experiencing inconsistencies they deal with it by trying to reduce it. Cognitive dissonance theory has been around since the late 1950s when it was published by
Description of Theory The term dissonance refers to when one cognitive element is inconsistent with another cognitive element according to the lecture notes of Professor Soreno. Cognitive elements can be categorized in four groups called beliefs, attitudes, values, and perceptions of behavior. Beliefs can be defined as a perception that something exists or not. This perception can range from a central or peripheral type of belief. The more central a belief is, the harder it is to change that belief
The Cognitive Dissonance Theory (CDT) As people, we often presume that the actions displayed by a person are piloted through their individual thoughts and opinions, however the cognitive dissonance theory (CDT) shows that this is not always the case. Labeled by some as an action-opinion theory, the theory of cognitive dissonance explains how people are compelled to commit actions contrary to their beliefs. The basic principle behind action-opinion theories is that these types of theories insinuate