Cognitive Dissonance In Psychology: Definition and Examples
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. The concept of cognition was relatively new at the time of the introduction of cognitive dissonance theory. Before that, the relationship between human attitudes and behaviours was understood as a complex process that involved motivational, emotional, affective and perceptual factors (Krech, 2019; Rosenberg, 1966). Therefore, the theory was one of the breakthroughs for research in the psychology field as it revolutionised thinking about human psychological processes. More specifically, the theory explains how rewards affect attitudes and behaviours and how behaviours and motivations affect cognitions and perceptions (Harmon-Jones & Harmon-Jones, 2007). Although the concepts of harmony and conflict were not new and had been proposed earlier by Heider (Heider, 1946), Cognitive Dissonance theory made a major contribution to the concept of consistency (Cooper, 2007).
Cognitive Dissonance: Festinger’s Theory
- Psychologist Joel Cooper recently published a comprehensive update of cognitive dissonance theory after more than 50 years of research.
- They sought support from like-minded people and mentally disconnected from the negative situation to reduce the negative emotions.
- Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person’s behavior and beliefs do not complement each other or when they hold two contradictory beliefs.
- In other words, it is the psychological discomfort that activates selective exposure as a dissonance-reduction strategy.
- If both options are equally harmless, changing your beliefs to support the option you chose won’t have any long-term negative impacts.
- Second, the person could reduce the importance of the dissonant cognition by thinking that the risk of getting lung cancer from smoking is lesser than being in a car accident.
For the children threatened with severe punishment, the choice was easy–do not play with the toy. Their desire for the toy was great, but the risk of severe punishment was not worth it. However, for the mild punishment children, it was a more difficult decision. Their desire for the toy was great and their concern for the mild punishment was small. While they also chose not to play with the toy, they may have needed to justify, to themselves, why they did not play with the forbidden toy.
Using Classical Conditioning for Treating Phobias & Disorders
Cognitive dissonance theory explains the mental unease and emotional discomfort that arise when this harmony is disrupted, leading us to strive for internal consistency and alignment. There are plenty of sources, mostly scientific articles and books, that provide a wide overview of the literature on cognitive dissonance. After about a half century of the development of the theory, several authors have published condensed works and state-of-the-art pieces concerning the topic, but they often suggest a partially deviant point of view. Aronson 1992 and Brehm 2007, written by two of Festinger’s historical students, offer historical anecdotic information as well as keystones to understand the phenomenon of cognitive dissonance.
A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance – Leon Festinger
- Being paid only $1 is not sufficient incentive for lying and so those who were paid $1 experienced dissonance.
- Understanding your beliefs and values behind the inconsistencies is an opportunity to develop deeper self-knowledge.
- Therefore, the brain is an inference machine that attempts to actively predict and explain its sensations.
A smoker who knows that smoking is bad for health will experience dissonance, which causes mental discomfort, because the habit of smoking and the knowledge of how harmful smoking is are conflicting. First, the person could remove the dissonant cognition by either changing his behaviour (stop smoking) or knowledge (believe that smoking is actually not bad for health). Second, the person could reduce the importance of the dissonant cognition by thinking that the risk of getting lung cancer from smoking is lesser than being in a car accident. Third, the person could increase the amount of consonant cognition by looking for positive effects of smoking. Lastly, the person could focus on the benefits of smoking as an important part of his or her life (Mills & Harmon-Jones, 1999).
- What I am doing is really important.” If this is his belief, he will realize that he is becoming stronger through his challenges.
- Participants in the high-dissonance condition spread apart the alternatives significantly more than the participants in the other two conditions.
- Cognitive dissonance is the uncomfortable feeling that can occur when you have conflicting beliefs, values, or behaviors.
- A smoker who knows that smoking is bad for health will experience dissonance, which causes mental discomfort, because the habit of smoking and the knowledge of how harmful smoking is are conflicting.
- The degree of dissonance experienced can depend on a few different factors.