The Theory of Cognitive Dissonance Essay example

If the individual believes that the result of accepting the behaviour will have a positive effect then the

In life, humanity is on a journey much like walking through a forest full of trees that requires consistent observation while navigating the path traveled. Remaining on course is a very important part of arriving at the destination of achievement and success. There is no way to have complete certainty of always arriving on time, as all the variables come into the picture of that journey which psychology also does in relation to the mind. The psychodynamic theory in comparison to the cognitive behavior theory is somewhat well viewed in focus of examining the mental process of what one does based upon what one has thought of doing. To consider the contrast of

In this part of the assignment the author will explain the contribution of contrasting psychological theories to the understanding of two specific behaviours

“The engine that drives self-justification, the energy that produces the need to justify our actions and decisions—especially the wrong ones—is an unpleasant feeling the Festinger called “cognitive dissonance.” Cognitive dissonance is a state of tension that occurs when ever a person holds two cognitions (ideas, attitudes, beliefs, opinions) that are psychologically inconsistent, such as “Smoking is a dumb thing to do because it could kill me” and “I smoke two packs a day.” Dissonance produces mental discomfort, ranging from minor pangs to deep anguish.” (p.13)

First, the magnitude of dissonance experience, second, the importance of the elements involved in order to restore consistency and third, the level of restructuring one’s cognitive system in an attempt at reducing the dissonance. These authors point out that little research has been conducted in relation to the three elements. Furthermore, going against the majority, the authors indicated sufficient research has been conducted on the basis of attitude and beliefs, and in doing so, suggested that change may occur in the individual after being subjected to dissonance arousing situations, for example deciding whether or not to cheat on a college

Cognitive dissonance is a physiological conflict resulting from out of place beliefs and attitudes held at the same time (Webster, n.d.). In layman’s terms this means having thoughts and attitudes that are not always the same as the general public’s thoughts. In this essay you will be given one example of cognitive dissonance from the media.

People can display themselves outwardly in a certain manner although on the inside be completely different. A person’s attitude and behavior can influence each other; a person’s surrounds will also have an impact on how the person is. An example of this can be seen in a person committing a crime such as shoplifting, the person knows this is illegal and not moral but in the right situation the person may forget his or her moral upbringing and commit the crime any way. Influences on the individual can be overpowering, causing the person to behave or act in an attitude different from the person’s normal action and behavior. People tend to suffer from

Cognitive dissonance was created by Leon Festinger in 1957. While it is just a theory is widely regarded as fact. Festinger created this theory when he was doing an observational study on a cult that believed the world was to be destroyed by a flood and the cult members would be spared by aliens. Cult members sold or gave away their positions, including their homes, and their jobs and then waited to be rescued by aliens. The aliens never came and the earth was obviously not destroyed. Festinger noticed a trend where the extremely committed members of the cult believed that the earth was spared due to the members extreme faith. The less committed members chocked it up to a bad mistake on their part or a worthwhile experience and ceased believing in the cult. This is a classic example of cognitive dissonance, the members with the highest commitment and faith changed their beliefs to think that their faith had spared the earth. The members who hadn 't given up their homes and jobs, lost faith in the cult. The two separate belief changes by the two groups were both ways to relieve the cognitive dissonance created when the aliens never

The idea is applicable in everyday life; we can use cognitive dissonance to help people make better decisions throughout the day. When we finish using the bathroom we often see a sign asking us to wash our hands to prevent disease and infection. When someone thinks to not wash their hands but sees the sign, they will experience cognitive dissonance. To get rid of this discomfort they will probably choose to wash their hands. Small interactions like these help better the world; by placing small changes like these in someone’s environment we can remind people of their morals and values.

1. fundamental attribution error - a person that in a given situation evaluates another's person decision or action by some internal characteristics, not taking into consideration exceptional situations that might lead that person in such a decision or action. example: Alice, a driver, is about to pass through an intersection. Her light turns green and she begins to accelerate, but another car drives through the red light and crosses in front of her.

When we make a fundamental attribution error, we assign characteristics to an individual that do not necessarily apply due to factors of a situation. For instance, a person A may judge person B as unfriendly because person B did not respond when person A said, "hello”. Person B, however, may be very friendly. The reason Person B did not respond is that he cannot hear and Person A was not in his field of view when he said, "hello”. cognitive dissonance - Cognitive dissonance occurs when we perform a particular act, and then feel emotional pain based on our performance of that act.

Dissonance Example #1: The Charming Math Teacher. You absolutely love your math teacher She is vibrant, engaging, and approachable. You want to turn in a good performance on your first exam and you study hard. Unfortunately, your grade is barely passing.

Dissonance is reduced using three mental strategies. Selective exposure is the strategy used before a decision is made. The premise of this strategy is to avoid information that is likely to increase dissonance. The second

“Cognitive theory is focused on the individual's thoughts as the determinate of his or her emotions and behaviors and therefore personality. Many cognitive theorists believe that without these thought processes, we could have no emotions and no behavior and would therefore not function. In other words, thoughts always come before any feeling and before any action.” ("Cognitive theory in," 2004)

Do attitudes predict behaviour? It is not easy to find the correct answer to this question. The relationship between attitudes and behaviour is one of the most controversial topics in social psychology. This essay explores whether attitudes can predict behaviours using two of theories of behaviour change: Cognitive Dissonance theory (Festinger, 1957) and Self-Perception Theory (Bem, 1965, 1967).