In his own words, he quickly sums up this quite complex theory. Cognitive dissonance is an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding two contradictory ideas simultaneously. But cognitive dissonance doesnt just apply to minor choices it rears its head in larger, societal matters, too. Cognitive dissonance is viewed as a bias toward a certain belief or decision even though other information and factors may suggest otherwise. When nothing of the sort happened, the cult justified it by saying that the aliens had given the earth another chance. Festingers 1957 cognitive dissonance theory suggests that we have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and behavior in harmony and avoid disharmony or dissonance. Cd is among the most influential and extensively studied theories in social psychology e. Cognitive dissonance describes the discomfort experienced when two cognitions are incompatible with each other. Ronis ohio state university recent revisions of cognitive dissonance theory no longer encompass some of the important examples, data, and hypotheses that were part. Specifically, it focuses on the relationships among cognitions that are elements of knowledge that people have about their behaviors, attitudes, perceptions, beliefs, feelings, or environments.
The present experiment sought to demonstrate the presence of cognitive dissonance after making a difficult decision concerning morality. How cognitive dissonance affects us in crazy political times. One of the most popular examples of the cognitive dissonance theory in action is when a cult believed a ufo would land on earth, and destroy everyone except them. A good synthesis of minitheories in future studies will move the dissonance theory further in explaining the conditions under which people strive towards consistency. The theory of cognitive dissonance was developed in 1957 by leon festinger 1919 to 1989, an american psychologist, and has at its core the principle that people strive to maintain consistency among pairs of cognitions or knowledges about their own opinions and. If you like to smoke then this can be considered a cognition. The theory of cognitive dissonance festinger, 1957. Psychologist leon festinger first described the theory of cognitive dissonance in 1957. Dissonance originates with an action and the subsequent evaluation of that action. However, it seemed that every site i read from was trying to numb my mind with advanced terminology. This paper discusses the aspects of the cognitive dissonance theory. It can thus be concluded that the theory of cognitive dissonance is a nomothetic theory one that seeks universal and general laws. Mar 17, 2017 according to psychologist leon festingers seminal cognitive dissonance theory, we have a drive that motivates us to reduce psychological discomfort and create consistency among our beliefs.
Leon festinger developed the cognitive dissonance theory festinger, 1957 dissonance occurs when a person perceives a logical inconsistency in their beliefs, when one idea implies the opposite of another. Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort you feel when you do something thats against your beliefs. Festinger presented dissonance theory during the heyday of cognitive consistency theories, and he discussed dissonance as a cognitive consistency theory. Cognitive dissonance was first introduced through social psychology, but still plays a fundamental role in public relations. Ronis ohio state university recent revisions of cognitive dissonance theory no longer encompass some of the important examples, data, and hypotheses that were part of festingers original statement. Common examples of cognitive dissonance the reason the subjects changed their minds in festingers study the person who introduced the theory of cognitive dissonance and when. Sometimes people can directly address the cognitive dissonance arising from these unwelcome events. Three examples of cognitive dissonance might include a smoker who continues to smoke despite the knowledge that it damages health, a cult member who alters their beliefs when they are proven wrong and someone who cheats on a test once, but resolves never to do so again. This work is a clearly stated theory on how humans think, decide, and defend their decisions. View cognitive dissonance research papers on academia. This approach is based on the hypotheticodeductive method, which involves the following processes.
Inconsistency among beliefs or behaviors will cause an uncomfortable psychological tension. Cognitive dissonance challenges a possibility of human evolution cognitive dissonance cd is a discomfort caused by holding conflicting elements of knowledge. Cognitive dissonance 7 one thing that weakens the postpurchase theory of cognitive dissonance is the fact that it is not known for certain whether people read ads of things they have already purchased to assuage cognitive dissonance, or if they do it because the topic merely is of interest to them personally oshikawa, 1969. Jul 07, 2016 chances are good that youre heard of cognitive dissonance theory, but how well do you know the ins and outs of it. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Cognitivedissonancetheory after50yearsofdevelopment. The theory of cognitive dissonance essay example 877 words. This produces a feeling of discomfort leading to an alteration in one of the attitudes, beliefs or behaviors to reduce the discomfort and restore balance etc. Cognitive dissonance a cognitive theory of motivation. Although it is not always supported for example, curiosity might interfere with the selective exposure effect, there is no question that this theory has strong research support. Cognitive dissonance theory another form of consistency theory is cognitive dissonance theory, developed by leon festinger 1957.
However, as several subsequent theorists noted, dissonance theory contained an important element not present in other consistency theories. Read on to find out more about the theory of cognitive dissonance, discover examples from real. Cognitive dissonance is a theory in social psychology. In a new working paper, the researchers say changing political attitudes can be understood in the context of cognitive dissonance, a theory of behavioral psychology that asserts that people experience uneasiness after acting in a way that appears to conflict with their beliefs and preferences about themselves or others. Introduced by leon festinger in 1957and since that time debated, refined, and debated again by psychologistscognitive dissonance is defined as the aversive state of arousal that occurs when a person holds two or more cognitions that are inconsistent with each other. Chances are good that youre heard of cognitive dissonance theory, but how well do you know the ins and outs of it. Cognitive theories of motivation rely on your thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes to explain your motivation. Cognitive dissonance can occur in many areas of life, but it is particularly evident in situations where an individuals behavior conflicts with beliefs that are integral to his or her selfidentity.
Introduced by leon festinger in 1957and since that time debated, refined, and debated again by psychologistscognitive dissonance is defined as the aversive state of arousal that occurs when a person holds two or. The cognitive dissonance theory and its function in public. Leon festingers theory of cognitive dissonance has not been adequately researched in its application to morality i. In general, social psychologists, always looking for the next great theory, seemed to have shelved this book and its concepts within a couple of decades after it came out in 1957 see leon festingers comments 30 years later in appendix b of cognitive dissonance progress on a pivotal theory in social. This is known as the principle of cognitive consistency.
Festinger argues that there are three possible relationships among cognitions thoughts, ideas. Festinger presented dissonance theory during the heyday of cognitive consistency theories,and he discussed dissonance as a cognitive consistency theory. Raise your hand if you believe the united states was founded on christian or judeochristian principles. The 10 personality disorders with examples duration. Cognitive dissonance theory, developed by leon festinger 1957, is concerned with the relationships among cognitions. If you change a persons behavior, his thoughts and feelings will change to minimize the. Theory of cognitive dissonance as it pertains to morality. Strengths and weaknesses of the dissonance theory glossary references selftest. Most of them can generally be arranged into four groups. Higher the discrepancy between cognitions, higher is the magnitude of the dissonance.
Before i can give examples of the cognitive dissonance theory i first have to explain what cognitive dissonance means. The theory of dissonance is here applied to the problem of why partial reward, delay of reward, and effort expenditure during training result in increased resistance to extinction. Furthermore, it is when dissonance is reduced by changing attitudes that cognitive dissonance theory predicts interesting effects on voting. The theory of cognitive dissonance proposes that people have a motivational drive to reduce dissonance by changing their attitudes, beliefs and behaviors, or by justifying or rationalizing them. The psychological theory of cognitive dissonance is due to festinger. Cognitive dissonance theory is one of the most studied, debated and influential theories in social psychology.
According to festinger, cognitive dissonance occurs when peoples thoughts and feelings are inconsistent with their behavior, which results in an uncomfortable, disharmonious feeling. Dissonance spring is an international small group meeting for researchers interested in cognitive conflict models with a focus on cognitive dissonance theory, to be held in may 2020. Cognitive dissonance theory in social psychology iresearchnet. According to psychologist leon festingers seminal cognitive dissonance theory, we have a drive that motivates us to reduce psychological discomfort and create consistency among our beliefs. Cognitive dissonance is described as psychological discomfort that arises from holding incompatible ideas at the same time. As a result, internal conflict arises, and cognitive dissonance can lead to irrational perceptions or rejection or denial of information. Cognitive dissonance is the negative feeling that results from conflicting beliefs and behaviors. When there is an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors dissonance, something must change to eliminate the dissonance. The origins of cognitive dissonance yale university. Introduction the theory of cognitive dissonance festinger, 1957 made a significant mark in the history of social.
Cognitive dissonance definition in the cambridge english. The origins of cognitive dissonance evidence from childre n and monkeys louisa c. Second, dissonance theory has generated literally hundreds of studies. Where there exists dissonance between having taken that action and subsequent. Ive read around many sources concerning one classic psychological phenomenon. Start studying chapter 6 cognitive dissonance theory. If you like ice cream then this is another cognition. Major cognitive dissonance phenomena let us now turn to a brief discussion of major cognitive dissonance phenomena. A marketing and management perspective article pdf available in procedia social and behavioral sciences 24.
Cognitive dissonance often arises in response to events outside an individuals control that violate her worldview or expectations for examples, see harmonjones, amodio, and harmonjones 2009. Defination cognitive dissonance refers to a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviors. List of books and articles about cognitive dissonance. Many of these cognitions are irrelevant to each other and are not problematic for the. An introduction to cognitive dissonance theory 7 in the first experiment designed to test these theoretical ideas, aronson and mills 1959 had women undergo a severe or mild initiation to become.
This article was originally published in the encyclopedia of. Cognitive dissonance theory leon festinger shared his brilliance with the world when he, opposing all previous psychological behaviorist work, created the cognitive dissonance theory. The theory of cognitive dissonance 1 concentrates on creating knowledge about important psychological processes of individuals. Another argument that may support the use of the environmental frame for animal advocacy is related with behavioral and attitudinal change. Cognitive dissonance theory is a very wideranging theory. It refers to the mental conflict that occurs when a persons behaviors and beliefs do not align. A critical tool in social justice teaching 2 i usually begin my social justice education workshops the same way. Cognitive dissonance 1 theory paper cognitive dissonance. Examples and practical applications of cognitive dissonance. Leon festinger developed cognitive dissonance theory in 1957 to explain how a persons beliefs can change when they are in conflict.
Apr 10, 20 cognitive dissonance challenges a possibility of human evolution cognitive dissonance cd is a discomfort caused by holding conflicting elements of knowledge. The advances in the history of cognitive dissonance theory. However, as several subsequent theorists noted, dissonance theory contained an important element not present in. Santos, and paul bloom yale university abstract n in a study explo ring the orig ins of cogni tive diss onance, presc hoole rs and capu chins were give n a choic e betw een two equa lly prefe rred alte rnatives two. Leon festingers theory of cognitive dissonance has been widely recognized for its important and influential concepts in areas of motivation and social psychology. Cognitive dissonance helps to ingrain political attitudes. A common example of cognitive dissonance occurs in the purchasing decisions we make on a regular basis. According to cognitive dissonance theory, there is a tendency for individuals to seek consistency among their cognitions i. When there is an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors dissonance, something must change to eliminate the.
The most famous and widely cited of these theories is cognitive dissonance cdt. Cognitive dissonance explains why people change their attitudes or behaviors when they are introduced to new and contradicting information. An introduction to cognitive dissonance theory and an. But cognitive dissonance doesnt just apply to minor choices it. Over the years, several revisions of the theory have been proposed, including selfconsistency theory, selfaffirmation theory, the new look at dissonance theory, and the selfstandards model. May 11, 2012 theory of cognitive dissonance the theory of cognitive dissonance has been the subject of interest and study of social psychologists in particular. A cognitive dissonance approach avidit acharya, stanford university matthew blackwell, harvard university maya sen, harvard university the standard approach in positive political theory posits that action choices are the consequences of preferences. According to cognitive dissonance theory,an individual experiences a mental discomfort after taking an action that seems to be in con. Individuals then change their attitudes to conform more closely with their actions,leading to an important source of attitude formation and change. According to festinger, cognitive dissonance is the noxious mental state that results from beliefs being in conflict with each other.
631 536 135 560 439 1339 1459 45 811 76 441 688 1448 1119 1120 1213 71 710 290 904 734 268 986 496 1536 1490 224 761 872 878 778 1222 239 1102