Cognitive Dissonance Theory Psychology

When the desired “something” is very important, we may have dissonant cognitions that make us tense and unhappy. We benefit, though, from approaching these inconsistencies with curiosity and grace, even when we want to change them. Here’s what you need to know about cognitive dissonance, and how to seek the proper care. “It depends on the immediacy of the situation and whether or not there’s any way to resolve it, but sometimes, new information can lead to action,” says Dr. Prewitt.

How to Recognize Cognitive Dissonance to Help You Make Better Decisions — and Better Yourself

His work on Social Comparison Theory, https://ecosoberhouse.com/, and other phenomena have made him one of the most well-cited psychologists in modern history. Learn how to stimulate your vagus nerve to soothe stress and feel calmer, among other possible health perks. Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions. In the vegetarian example, you can modify your belief system (by saying you’re not a vegetarian) or you can modify the action. With dissonance that results from wanting something we can’t have, there are things we would like to have that we cannot for any number of reasons.

Body image and health intervention

• For example, people may feel cognitive dissonance if they enjoy drinking alcohol, despite knowing too much may be bad for their health.
• Reputable health organizations such as Lyu and Wehby studied the effects of wearing a face mask on the spread of COVID-19.
• Cognitive dissonance is the psychological tension we feel as we try to reckon with two (or more) opposing pieces of information.
• If you’re conflicted about the choice, you’re experiencing cognitive dissonance — the discomfort, tension, or anxiety that results from holding two conflicting beliefs at the same time.

In the Hypocrisy condition, participants were first asked to take some time to privately remember all their behaviours of the last month that may have been harmful (vs. beneficial in the Control condition) to the environment. In a second step, they were shown a list of seven specific harmful behaviours concerning the environment and had to mark the ones they personally did in the last month (e.g., “Using a car for a short trip”). In the Control condition, the first step was to remember behaviour that had a positive impact on the environment and the recall task consisted of listing positive behaviours (e.g., “Not using a car for a short trip despite having the opportunity”). To ensure that participants remembered specific occurrences, we asked them to precisely state the spatial and temporal context in which each behaviour occurred.

Relations among cognitions

Another means to reduce cognitive dissonance and addiction is selective exposure. This theory has been discussed since the early days of Festinger’s proposal of cognitive dissonance. The idea is, choosing something that is in opposition to how you feel or believe in will increase cognitive dissonance. Some of the ways people reduce discomfort from cognitive dissonance include seeking information that aligns with and supports current beliefs, reducing the conflicting belief’s importance, and changing beliefs to reduce the feelings of conflict.

Self-discrepancy theory

Participants in the “severe embarrassment” condition gave the most positive rating. In the “severe embarrassment” condition, they had to read aloud obscene words and a very explicit sexual passage. Brehm (1956) was the first to investigate the relationship between dissonance and decision-making. Saul Mcleod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology. At any moment, someone’s aggravating behavior or our own bad luck can set us off on an emotional spiral that threatens to derail our entire day.

Balance theory

How to Reduce Cognitive Dissonance

Dissonance that Results from Wanting Something We Can’t Have