Cognitive description

Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance is a psychological phenomenon that occurs when an individual holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values, or participates in an action that goes against one of these cognitions. This dissonance is experienced as psychological stress due to the inconsistency between what a person believes or values and their behavior or understanding of the world. The term was first introduced by American psychologist Leon Festinger in 1957, and it has since become a central concept in social psychology.

Overview

Cognitive dissonance theory suggests that individuals have an inner drive to hold all their attitudes and beliefs in harmony and avoid disharmony (or dissonance). This is known as the principle of cognitive consistency. When there is an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors (dissonance), something must change to eliminate the dissonance. In the case of a discrepancy between attitudes and behavior, it is most likely that the attitude will change to accommodate the behavior.

There are three basic hypotheses about the effects of cognitive dissonance:

1. The existence of dissonance, being psychologically uncomfortable, will motivate a person to try to reduce the dissonance and achieve consonance.
2. When dissonance is present, in addition to trying to reduce it, a person will actively avoid situations and information likely to increase the dissonance.
3. The degree of resistance to changing the dissonant cognition is proportional to the magnitude of the dissonance.

Causes

Cognitive dissonance can arise in many situations, such as when people:

• Are forced to act contrary to their beliefs or attitudes.
• Make decisions that involve choice between equally attractive or unattractive options.
• Are confronted with information that is inconsistent with their existing beliefs or attitudes.

Reduction

People can reduce cognitive dissonance in several ways, including:

• Changing their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors to make them consistent.
• Acquiring new information that outweighs the dissonant beliefs.
• Reducing the importance of the cognitions (beliefs, attitudes).

Examples

A classic example of cognitive dissonance is "buyer's remorse", where after making a difficult decision to purchase an expensive item, a person might notice drawbacks they had previously overlooked, leading to dissonance between their action of purchasing and their belief in making a wise choice. To reduce this dissonance, the buyer may focus on the item's positive aspects or the negative aspects of items not purchased.

Applications

Understanding cognitive dissonance has practical applications in areas such as marketing, psychotherapy, and education. For instance, marketers can create dissonance by highlighting the discrepancy between a consumer's current situation and how much better off they could be with a particular product or service.

Criticism and Development

While widely influential, cognitive dissonance theory has been subject to criticism and further development. Critics argue that the theory is too broad and lacks predictive power. In response, researchers have refined the theory to address these limitations, leading to a more nuanced understanding of how cognitive dissonance operates in various contexts.

See Also

• Attitude change
• Social psychology
• Decision making
• Behavioral economics