Cognitive Dissonance Theory

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Introduction Social Psychologists have discovered that most people believe that they are well behaved, more competent, above average, and better at things than others. But if this is to be true, what happens when we behave in 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 internally consistent …show more content…

The purpose of the article is to examine core assumptions of cognitive dissonance theory in the context of physical exercise and a young population by manipulating their minds with boring exercises, which ignites dissonance. The relevant hypotheses to this experiment was examined dissonance-related attitudes change in the domain of leisure time exercise (Chatzisarantis, Hagger, Wang, 2008, pg.97). Psychologists utilized three different conditions to examine cognitive dissonance-related change in the domain of a boring exercise, such as stepping on a bench or chair. The three conditions were: free-choice, no-choice, and forced-choice control. Each condition was measured with male and female participants at the age of 14 because typically teenagers rarely attempt exercises regularly. Results showed that the teenagers in the free-choice condition had more positive attitudes than participants in the no-choice and forced-choice conditions. “Experimental participants made a decision to perform a boring exercise task (stepping on a bench/chair) under three different conditions: a free-choice condition (n=33, Male=17 female=16, Age=14.57), under a no-choice/control condition (n=28, Male=15, Female =13, Age=14.50), and under a condition that compelled participants to practice bench/chair stepping (forced-choice condition) (n=31, Male=15, Female=16, …show more content…

During the two articles there were major results, which concluded in exemplifying the theory of cognitive dissonance. In article one researchers examined the effect of the act of voting on subsequent party preferences, which lead to the determining factor that cognitive dissonance is one of the mechanisms behind the effect of act of voting, since tactical voting creates attitudinal change. And, article two exemplified cognitive dissonance through an aversive state by using three conditions, such as free-choice, no-choice, and force-choice to examine core assumptions of cognitive dissonance theory in the context of physical exercise and teenagers. From a biblical worldview standpoint, the theory of cognitive dissonance results in a carnal mind, which is double-minded and is ultimately an enmity against

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