Cognitive dissonance

Cognitive dissonance is a situation brought by two conflicting thoughts affecting the same person. The most difficult part about cognitive dissonance is the inability to make a decision about the conflicting issues. For instance, an individual has a difficult choice to make on his job and advancing education. Both issues have almost equal significance, and it is confusing for the individual to choose. Cognitive dissonance makes people experience guilt, confusion, doubt, anger and surprise. In severe cases, people may suffer stress and depression (Cooper, 2007).

According to Festinger, his theory states that people have an internal drive to create a balance of their attitudes or beliefs and keep them in harmony. When a person is in a state of cognitive dissonance, the individual tends to change one attitude, belief or behavior to bring balance and harmony back. For instance, a person’s job is not paying well, and there are many other reasons to resign. However, this person remains in this job whereas he or she could look for another better job. He argues he has to remain in that job because he likes it. Harmony and balance is brought by the belief and thought of the person’s love for his job.

Festinger carried out an experiment on cognitive dissonance by making people do unwilling activities. When someone is forced to do an action, it is viewed as forced compliance. This is because it is against their beliefs or attitude (Carroll, n.d). The theorist used some participants to do mundane activities, which would bring cognitive dissonance due to the force. The participants had different opinions according to the activities they did. Some found it fun while other boring since they were forced to do it. Those who were convinced it was fun considered it fascinating and thus the difference in opinions.

Festinger suggested that a strong motive to control consistency in cognition could cause irrational or maladaptive habits. All people have a different perception about the world and its different aspects. When there is a collusion of the beliefs, cognitive dissonance takes place. Since the state of cognitive dissonance is uncomfortable, an individual will seek consonance. In real application, when a person is experiencing conflicting thoughts, he or she will look for a suitable solution. Persuasion has a crucial role to play in cognitive dissonance.

Persuasion happens when cognitive dissonance can be solved. The individual will be persuaded to change or alter some of his beliefs or attitude to bring consonance. For instance, smokers are aware of the risks involved with their habit. They will give all sorts of reasons and excuses to justify their action. This is a form of persuasion to possible cognitive dissonance, which could affect some of them. The justification made about smoking influences cognitive dissonance. It eventually makes individuals who smoke comfortable with their habit because they establish consonance. Regardless of how consonance is sought, it is essential to have consonance after experiencing dissonance (Levine, 2003).

Some people tend to disagree with Festinger’s theory. Cognitive dissonance is a common experience in everybody. Almost everyday, people are faced with difficult choices about their conflicting issues. Most of them have been forced to change some of their principles or values to tackle their dissonance. This could be due to the urgency of solving the conflict or just because it is an unpleasant situation. This is a good example of application on Festinger’s theory in people’s lives. People find themselves making changes of their beliefs because a conflict takes opposite direction. Therefore, solving it needs decisions, which cater for both sides (Cooper, 2007).

References:

Cooper, J. (2007). Cognitive dissonance. Los Angeles: Sage

Carroll, R. (n.d.) Cognitive dissonance. The skeptic’s dictionary. Retrieved from http://skepdic.com/cognitivedissonance.html

Levine, R. (2003). The power of persuasion: How we’re bought and sold. Los Angeles, LA: Wiley.