Cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort that results from holding two conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes.
People tend to seek consistency in theirattitudesandperceptions, so this conflict causes unpleasant feelings of unease or discomfort.
In some cases, you’ll rationalize the feelings away altogether.
Verywell / Hugo Lin
Examples to consider include:
What Causes Cognitive Dissonance?
There are several different situations that can create conflicts that lead to cognitive dissonance.
Because you are being pressured tocomplyby outside forces, you are more likely to experience some degree of dissonance.
New Information
Sometimes learning new information can lead to feelings of cognitive dissonance.
Decisions
People make decisions, both large and small, on a daily basis.
What Influences Cognitive Dissonance?
The degree of dissonance experienced can depend on a few different factors.
Among them are how highly a particular belief is valued and the degree to which the beliefs are inconsistent.
How Cognitive Dissonance Feels
Cognitive dissonance can make people feel uneasy and uncomfortable.
This discomfort can manifest itself in a variety of ways.
What Happens When We Experience Cognitive Dissonance?
Because people want toavoid discomfort, cognitive dissonance can have a wide range of effects.
Dissonance can play a role in how we act, think, and make decisions.
We may engage in behaviors or adopt attitudes to help relieve the discomfort triggered by the conflict.
They can go about this a few different ways.
To deal with the feelings of discomfort then, they might find some way of rationalizing the conflicting cognition.
According to Festinger, there are a few ways that a person might resolve this dissonance.
Inconsistent or conflicting beliefs lead to disharmony, which people strive to avoid.
Takeaways
Cognitive dissonance plays a role in many value judgments, decisions, and evaluations.
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Festinger L.A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance.
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Cooper J.Cognitive Dissonance: 50 Years of a Classic Theory.
