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
The 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
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
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
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. For his theory, Festinger refers to cognition as
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
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
In 1957 Leon Festinger proposed an idea of cognitive dissonance theory, in which he states that to maintain cognitive stability you sometime give in to irrational and maladaptive attitude, beliefs, or behaviors within yourself. Within these conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviors they can produce discomfort leading to an adjustment to reduce the discomfort and restore cognitive balance. The theory starts from the idea that we try to seek consistency in our attitude, beliefs, and behaviors in
between 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
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 that were seemingly already accepted by behaviorists
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 Reduction Theory, originated by
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 to the theory after many
Cognitive dissonance is widely regarded as a post decision theory, meaning that it’s constructs are enacted when individuals attempt to persuade themselves after a decision or course of action has already been carried out (Dainton & Zelley, 2015). This persuasion only occurs when the individual must confront the inconsistency between their actions and beliefs. Because this confrontation occurs within the individual, Cognitive Dissonance Theory is a psychological perspective. This means that different
Summary Cognitive dissonance theory is the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent. There are three methods that dissonance can be condensed. Individuals can modify one or more of the beliefs, attitude, behaviors, and more, this way the connection between the two elements are in agreement with one another. Another method is to gather new information that will compensate the dissonant beliefs. The third method is to decrease the importance
Cognitive dissonance theory by Leon Festinger (1957) has provided me with a theoretical orientation that has assisted me in understanding the “psychological discomfort” experienced when some beliefs are incongruent with behaviors. As I understand it from my readings, cognitive dissonance refers to any situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors. This conflict produces feelings of discomfort leading to attempts to change or modify the attitudes, beliefs or behaviors involved
Cognitive dissonance is defined as the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioral decisions and attitude change. Dr. Davis’s theory supports this because he discusses the desire to exploit and justify the exploitation. He uses examples such as the historical experiences of the Africans and the Native Americans in regards to their land. Davis states that “once the civil laws prohibited some blatant forms of racial discrimination in areas such
There are many theories about different subjects in perception. There are also disorders that relate to perception even though you may think perception is just a person?s view point. First, the self-perception theory, inspired by B. F. Skinner?s analyses, is when individuals come to ?know? or better understand their own attitudes, emotions, and other personal states
The validity of cognitive dissonance is the fact that we are faced with it every day, by making a decision or solving a problem using our subjective values which include beliefs, opinions, attitudes, etc. An attitude describes the positive or negative feelings we have toward people, things, or ideas. As humans, what we do to make these decisions and solve these problems don't always line up, causing inconsistency. This means our beliefs go one way, and our behavior goes in the opposite direction
“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
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