Understanding Cognitive Dissonance: Theory and Examples

Your behavior contradicts not just the beliefs you have about the world, but also the beliefs that you have about yourself. Once a choice has been made, however, people need to find a way to reduce these feelings of discomfort. We accomplish cognitive dissonance theory this by justifying why our choice was the best option so we can believe that we made the right decision. By bringing attention to the inconsistencies in our minds, cognitive dissonance may present an opportunity for growth.

Leveraging the psychology of cognitive dissonance

The justification is typically achieved by changing their attitudes and beliefs so that the new attitudes and beliefs are consistent with and justify the decision that has been made. Notably, the resulting attitude change can be long lasting (Sharot, Fleming, Yu, Koster, & Dolan, 2012). By nature, then, we may be rationalizing beings, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ ready to justify what we have done after the fact. The theory of cognitive dissonance and its major experimental paradigms are described in this article. When an individual holds two or more elements of knowledge that are relevant to each other but inconsistent with one another, a state of discomfort or dissonance is created.

Emotions of Cognitive Dissonances

People are comfortable when their beliefs, values, and actions align and support each other. Sometimes, the availability or presentation of new information can upset this comfort. As studies on dissonance reduction have grown, specific reduction strategies have been explored. A review has summarised and classified those strategies into seven categories (McGrath, 2017). Cognitive dissonance theory itself suggests that if patients are investing time, money, and emotional effort in the therapy, they will be likely to work hard to reach their therapeutic goals in order to justify their efforts. Since cognitive dissonance often naturally occurs after a decision such as a purchase, this is what questionnaires have focused on.

Acquire new information that outweighs the dissonant beliefs.

• However, this mode of dissonance reduction frequently presents problems for people, as it is often difficult for people to change well-learned behavioral responses (e.g., giving up smoking).
• Relevant theories are social exchange theory and cognitive dissonance theory.
• In the end, you decide to start buying cage-free eggs and plan to replace one of your meat purchases each shopping trip with humanely raised meat or a meat substitute, like tofu or tempeh.
• This is the reason we want to listen to Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and Lady Gaga.

Critical skills can be over-ridden through repetition, fixation or constant mimicry, or through techniques that induce euphoria. Eyes-closed visualizations and “guided meditation” techniques can heighten suggestibility, making it easier to insert thoughts and beliefs into members. Internet web sites, public and private video is available 24/7, and meetings are often live-streamed. Bigger groups have publication departments that churn out newsletters, magazines, journals, CDs, DVDs, podcasts, blogs, apps, and other media.

This model proposed that the psychological stress was caused by the feeling of being self-responsible for inducing aversive consequences, rather than the inconsistency in cognitive elements. Heider’s balance theory posits that perceivers prefer similarly evaluated people and things also to belong together. Most prominently, Festinger’scognitive dissonance theory holds that people seek consistency among the cognitions relevant to their attitudes, including their cognitions about their own behavior. Other consistency theories hold that people seek harmony within and between their attitudes.

Indeed, the influence of dissonance theory went far beyond the field of social psychology. The term dissonance has since become incorporated into the English vernacular. A person who feels defensive or unhappy might consider the role cognitive dissonance might play in these feelings. If they are part of a wider problem that is causing distress, people may benefit from speaking with a therapist. For example, a small 2019 study notes that dissonance-based interventions may be helpful for people with eating disorders.

However, this shift requires convincing them to consider greenhouse gasses and emissions as significant issues worthy of attention. Imagine moving forward with a work project launch because a manager instructed you to meet a deadline. However, your core beliefs contradict these instructions because you feel the project needs more testing to be safe or effective. You comply to avoid getting fired, even though you disagree with your decision. Since it’s rooted in a person’s personal beliefs, it’s usually easier to look out for signs of it, rather than trying to understand the state itself.

• The elaboration likelihood model is one of the most influential approaches in the history of work on attitude change and persuasion.
• Sometimes when patients engage in a new, more constructive behavior, they can perceive dissonance simply because it is contrary to the way they used to act.
• As studies on dissonance reduction have grown, specific reduction strategies have been explored.
• An ethical group will tell a newcomer upfront who they are, what they believe and what is expected of a member.
• Sometimes, the ways that people resolve cognitive dissonance contribute to unhealthy behaviors or poor decisions.

The desk persons categorise news stories with various formats according to the merit of the story. Such formats include AVO, AVO Byte, Pkg, VO SOT, VOX POP, and Ancho Visual. Cognitive dissonance happens when you hold two conflicting thoughts in your mind at the same time — like loving both hamburgers and cows. For example, a product addressing a specific need might also align with environmental concerns and feature a special discount. This convergence of values can sway consumers towards a purchase, as the reinforced beliefs counterbalance the dissonance. Customers may experience discomfort if they perceive a gap between their expectations and the actual product or service received.

Organisms are motivated by the state of dissonance and they may engage in ‘psychological work’ to reduce the inconsistency. Revisions to the original theory and their supporting research are then described. The major theoretical revisions differ primarily in terms of the motivation they posit for causing dissonance reduction. The revisions are self-consistency, self-affirmation, new look, and action-based model. The negative aspect of cognitive dissonance, discarding of knowledge, has received significant attention since Tversky and Kahneman were awarded the Nobel Prize in 2002. To overcome the negative effects of the emotions of cognitive dissonances, they must be brought into consciousness.

More aimed at advanced researchers in cognitive dissonance, Harmon-Jones 2019 (the second edition of Harmon-Jones and Mills 1999) is an edited volume that synthesizes modern perspectives on dissonance. For participants who were not asked to lie, and for participants who lied in exchange for $20, they tended to report that the study indeed wasn’t very interesting. After all, participants who had told a lie for $20 felt that they could justify the lie because they were paid relatively well (in other words, receiving the large sum of money reduced their feelings of dissonance). Cognitive dissonance plays a role in many value judgments, decisions, and evaluations. Becoming aware of how conflicting beliefs impact the decision-making process is a great way to improve your ability to make faster and more accurate choices. For example, behaving in ways that are not aligned with your personal values may result in intense feelings of discomfort.