The theory of cognitive dissonance essay example 877 words. 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. Dissonance arises when elements of cognition do not fit together, motivating a person to reduce or eliminate the dissonance, just as, for example, the presence of hunger leads. In terms of psychology, its a mental discomfort associated with psychological stress experienced by a person, where the person holds on to more than one contradictory ideas, attitudes, or beliefs.
This work is a clearly stated theory on how humans think, decide, and defend their decisions. Cognitive dissonance theory cdt argues that the experience of dissonance or incompatible beliefs and actions is aversive and people are highly motivated to avoid it. Cd is among the most influential and extensively studied theories in social psychology e. Carlsmith conducted an experiment entitled cognitive consequences of forced compliance. In a theory of cognitive dissonance 1957, leon festinger proposed that human. Instead of positing that any type of cognition can be involved in.
Cognitive dissonance theory leon festinger shared his brilliance with the world when he, opposing all previous psychological behaviorist work, created the cognitive dissonance theory. Leon festingers theory of cognitive dissonance has been widely recognized for its important and influential concepts in areas of motivation and social psychology. Lord wrote a paper on whether or not the theory of cognitive dissonance was not tested enough and if it was a mistake to accept it into theory. Specifically, it focuses on the relationships among cognitions.
Cognitive dissonance has been an important and influential theory since leon festinger published his classic work in 1957. Cognitive dissonance and compensatory control cognitive dissonance theories contend that individuals want consistency among their cognitions i. Our objective is to model an agent who exhibits such cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance challenges a possibility of human evolution cognitive dissonance cd is a discomfort caused by holding conflicting elements of knowledge. Theory of cognitive dissonance definition of theory of. In his own words, he quickly sums up this quite complex theory. A theory of cognitive dissonance by leon festinger, 1962, stanford university press edition. It is well known that this discomfort is usually resolved by devaluing and discarding a conflicting piece of. It is also a prime example of how creative thinking and problem solving skills can come together to produce work that changes the way people look at questions for good. What is cognitive dissonance, know its theory and examples. List of books and articles about cognitive dissonance. Raise your hand if you believe the united states was founded on christian or judeochristian principles.
Since its introduction to the social psychology literature 60 years ago, festingers cognitive dissonance theory cdt has been frequently. A challenge to human evolutioncognitive dissonance frontiers. 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 psychology edited by eddie harmonjones and judson mills. By saul mcleodupdated to reduce this dissonance, we are motivated to try to think that the task turned out well. In the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance occurs when a person holds two or more. Cognitive dissonance explains why people change their attitudes or behaviors when they are introduced to new and contradicting information. The advances in the history of cognitive dissonance theory. Cognitive dissonance theory suggests that our preferences are modulated by the mere act of choosing. Cognitive dissonance article about cognitive dissonance by. Cognitive dissonance theory has been known to play out in several ways. Cognitive dissonance theory holds that our reactions to these sorts of psychological stimuli tend to fall somewhere along a continuum on which each point represents a strategy for returning our consciousnesses into cognitive balance huegler, 2006. The principle of cognitive dissonance was made popular in the late 1950s by leon festingers book, theory of cognitive dissonance. Comm250 cognitive dissonance theory flashcards quizlet. Start studying comm250 cognitive dissonance theory.
Apr 10, 20 cognitive dissonance challenges a possibility of human evolution cognitive dissonance cd is a discomfort caused by holding conflicting elements of knowledge. Cognitive consistency download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Apr 10, 20 cognitive dissonance challenges a possibility of human evolutioncognitive dissonance cd is a discomfort caused by holding conflicting elements of knowledge. Many of these cognitions are irrelevant to each other and are not problematic for the. Selfconsistency a theoretical reinterpretation of the original theory of cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance and gender discrimination springerlink. Not which but when one of the intriguing aspects of dissonance theory is that it frequently leads to predictions which stand in apparent contradiction to those made by other theoretical approaches, most notably, to. It is student made and meant to demonstrate the theory of cognitive dissonance as well as entertain. Because cognitive dissonance is a relatively new theory, there are some that are skeptical of the idea.
Cognitive dissonance has been utilized extensively in the fields of communication, education, and social psychology as a framework for researching incongruities among attitudes, beliefs, and social behaviors cooper, 2007. In their efforts to avoid feelings of dissonance, people will avoid hearing views that oppose their own, change their beliefs to match their actions, and seek reassurance after. 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. The effect of severity of initiation on liking for a group pdf. Festinger argues that there are three possible relationships among cognitions thoughts, ideas. The impact of cognitive dissonance theory continued from the late 1950s to the mid1970s. Cognitive dissonance challenges a possibility of human evolutioncognitive dissonance cd is a discomfort caused by holding conflicting elements of knowledge. According to cognitive dissonance theory, there is a tendency for individuals to seek consistency among their cognitions i. Cognitive dissonance theory another form of consistency theory is cognitive dissonance theory, developed by leon festinger 1957. 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. Hence if i think of my self as being an altruistic being this being my selfcognition i will. According to cognitive dissonance theory,an individual experiences a mental discomfort after taking an action that seems to be in con.
Cognitive dissonance reduction can be seen as an antecedent condition which leads to activity oriented towards dissonance reduction just as hunger leads to activity oriented towards hunger reduction. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Click download or read online button to get cognitive consistency book now. If you change a persons behavior, his thoughts and feelings will change to minimize the. Strengths and weaknesses of the dissonance theory glossary references selftest. This paper discusses the aspects of the cognitive dissonance theory. Cognitive dissonance cd theory is arguably one of the most influential. Festinger presented dissonance theory during the heyday of cognitive consistency theories,and he discussed dissonance as a cognitive consistency theory.
Cognitive dissonance cd theory is arguably one of the most influential and. Leon festingers 1957 a theory of cognitive dissonance is a key text in the history of psychology one that made its author one of the most influential social psychologists of his time. It is a theory with very broad applications, showing that we aim for consistency between attitudes and behaviors, and may not use very rational methods to achieve it. Cognitive dissonance theory is applicable in all situations which involves formation and.
This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Cognitivedissonancetheory after50yearsofdevelopment. Cognitive dissonance theory wicklund and brehm 1976 commented on the 20year history of dissonance theory by observing, to the extent that dissonance theory has evolved since 1957, the evolution has been primarily due to the discovery that responsibility is a prerequisite for effects that we call dissonance reduction p. 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. Cognitive dissonance theory links actions and attitudes. Leon festinger was the first psychologist to study cognitive dissonance around the 1950s, and his works, such as books and experiments, helped to shed light on the ways in which humans act to decrease cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance was first introduced through social psychology, but still plays a fundamental role in public relations. It suggests that inconsistencies among cognitions i.
Hukkinen, nina janasikhonkela, and valentina kieseppa. Ebook a theory of cognitive dissonance libro electronico. A critical tool in social justice teaching 2 i usually begin my social justice education workshops the same way. The theory of cognitive dissonance festinger, 1957. Cognitive dissonance theory synonyms, cognitive dissonance theory pronunciation, cognitive dissonance theory translation, english dictionary definition of cognitive dissonance theory. Psychology the psychological tension that occurs when one holds mutually exclusive beliefs or attitudes and that often motivates people to modify their. Jan 22, 2019 cognitive dissonance is defined as a state of mind where our belief does not match with our behaviour. This robust theory suggests that a motivational state of inner tension is triggered by logically inconsistent ways of thinking.
The theory is somewhat counterintuitive and, in fact, fits into a category of counterintuitive social psychology theories sometimes referred to as action opinion. However, the dwindling interest in dissonance theory did not have a long run. An introduction to the theory of cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance represents conflicting desires that create the unpleasant tension that women in these societies face. Models of cognitive dissonance in economics treat beliefs as choice variables.
Leon festinger, one such noted social psychologist, explained that people, in the course of their daily lives, hold a myriad of cognitions simultaneously. But even before festinger was the greek fabulist aesop. A theory of cognitive dissonance download ebook pdf. You have to choose only 1, causing you cognitive dissonance. It is known by every social psychologist, most psychologists of any stripe, and the lay public, making its way into such mainstream publications as the new york times with increasing frequency and accuracy. Go to the editions section to read or download ebooks. If you study psychology there is a very good chance that you will be introduced to the theory of cognitive dissonance. With a growing interest in purely cognitive processes such as information processes, the popularity of dissonance theory declined. The cognitive dissonance theory and its function in public. 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. Cognitive dissonance is defined as a state of mind where our belief does not match with our behaviour. This approach is based on the hypotheticodeductive method, which involves the following processes. It can thus be concluded that the theory of cognitive dissonance is a nomothetic theory one that seeks universal and general laws.
Cognitive dissonance is described as psychological discomfort that arises from holding incompatible ideas at the same time. Individuals then change their attitudes to conform more closely with their actions,leading to an important source of attitude formation and change. The cognitive dissonance theory proposes that people are motivated to reduce this tension and may do so either by reducing their selfinterest behavior, by engaging in selfdeception, or by some combination of the two. A theory of cognitive dissonance by festinger, leon, 19191989. Cognitive dissonance theory article about cognitive.
It is a very different motivation from what psychologist are used to dealing with but, as we shall see, nonetheless powerful. This my video on cognitive dissonance for my communication theory class. The theory of cognitive dissonance 1 concentrates on creating knowledge about important psychological processes of individuals. Cognitive dissonance theory social emotive neuroscience lab. The theory of cognitive dissonance was molded by leon festinger at the beginning of the 1950s. Oct 02, 2014 this my video on cognitive dissonance for my communication theory class.
Keywords moral hazard cognitive dissonance behavioral finance. Cognitive dissonance is the negative feeling that results from conflicting beliefs and behaviors. Cognitive dissonance theory definition of cognitive. 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. Forced compliance theory is a paradigm that is closely related to cognitive dissonance theory. Pdf a theory of cognitive dissonance semantic scholar.
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