Bryan LaskyThe cognitive dissonance theory is used in many ways in everyday modern life. Any person displaying regular risky behaviour can justify it by claiming that you have to live every day like it might be your last. These are all attempts to rationalise risky behaviour and reduce cognitive dissonance.
This convergence of values can sway consumers towards a purchase, as the reinforced beliefs counterbalance the dissonance. To restore equilibrium between conflicting beliefs, people often introduce new, reinforced concepts that strike a balance between comfort and discomfort in their decision-making. Cognitive dissonance isn’t limited to customers; it can also impact employees. When they encounter conflicting values or beliefs in the workplace, it can lead to job dissatisfaction and decreased engagement.
Changing beliefs
Cognitive dissonance is a term for the state of discomfort felt when two or more modes of thought contradict each other. The clashing cognitions may include ideas, beliefs, or the knowledge that one has behaved in a certain way. Because it is something a person feels internally, it is not possible to physically observe dissonance. As such, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ no set of external signs can reliably indicate a person is experiencing cognitive dissonance. The dissonance between two contradictory ideas, or between an idea and a behavior, creates discomfort. Festinger argued that cognitive dissonance is more intense when a person holds many dissonant views and those views are important to them.
They committed to a belief in the prophecy but new information, the aliens not coming, caused them to question their commitment. This often happens in your mind without needing to actively think about it. “Once we become aware of the mental and emotional discomfort cognitive dissonance causes, it’s often a quick and instantaneous next step to reduce the dissonance in some manner,” Noulas says. You may simply adjust the importance of one idea, belief, or attitude so it’s less dissonant, she says.
Examples
By Kendra Cherry, MSEd
Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the “Everything Psychology Book.” Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the “Everything Psychology Book.”
Prevention programs based on cognitive dissonance and the use of the Internet have been widely and successfully implemented among female college models, but their use has not yet filtered down to the school setting. Cognitive Dissonance Theory has generally been used with at-risk women, and outside of the school setting. This approach intersects nicely with models of interactive and student-centered learning as well as fitting with the principles of developing media literacy, making it a good fit for the school setting. Cognitive dissonance is an internal conflict that occurs in a person when their conflicting beliefs collide. According to Willingham (2014), cognitive dissonance “literally means having mental conflicts” (p. 151). Sometimes people can reduce dissonance by changing things in their environment—in particular, in their social environment.
Psychological Safety by Amy Edmondson
It is essential to develop sound reasoning skills so that a person can evaluate facts to draw their conclusions and make decisions that are consistent with their beliefs. Learning to navigate this inner turmoil will help us recognize and address any conflicting feelings, leading us to a path of fulfillment and balance. Experiencing cognitive dissonance can be a profoundly uncomfortable sensation, causing immense anxiety and potentially resulting in long-term stress or unhappiness (Montecinos, 2020).
Despite the bombardment of societal messages to never quit, sometimes changing course is exactly what you should do. In his book “A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance,” cognitive dissonance treatment Festinger proposed that two ideas can be consonant or dissonant. Join 550,000+ helping professionals who get free, science-based tools sent directly to their inbox.
This mainly happens when it’s a long-held belief, such a religious beliefs or morals that conflict with behaviour or feelings. The first way to reduce cognitive dissonance is to change dissonant behaviour. A person who drinks excessively can choose to not drink, or call a cab after a few drinks. Changing both behaviours will relieve the cognitive dissonance because their actions are then in harmony with what they know about the dangers of drinking and driving. Psychologist Kia-Rai Prewitt, PhD, explains how to manage this feeling of discomfort, what’s known as cognitive dissonance, and how it can affect your mental health and other relationships when left unchecked. But you can feel caught off guard when those values and beliefs are shaken by social pressures, the presence of new information or having to make a rushed last-minute decision.
- Once you’ve rationalized your decision, you’re now very likely to stick by and protect that belief – even if someone uses evidence to prove you wrong.
- The study argued based on survey evidence that an individual trader’s future decision-making may be influenced by his previous investment decisions.
- To the contrary, participants who were told the victimization took place in the distant past blamed the character of the victim more and saw greater benefits in her suffering than did participants who thought the victimization was in the recent past.
- Cognitive dissonance creates an underlying psychological tension that motivates a person to make a behavioral or value-based change to avoid the tension.
- Conflicting beliefs can be held at the same time, often without a person realizing it.