Cognitive Dissonance Theory: A Crash Course

Summary

Cognitive dissonance, a concept from social psychology, refers to the discomfort experienced when holding two contradictory beliefs or behaviors. First described by Leon Festinger in 1957, it arises from inconsistency, such as a smoker knowing the habit is harmful. People resolve this dissonance by altering beliefs, changing behaviors, adding rationalizing thoughts, or trivializing the inconsistency. Dissonance is not just a mental conflict but can cause physical discomfort, motivating individuals to restore consistency for inner peace. The need to resolve dissonance is heightened when individuals perceive they had a choice and foresee negative consequences from their inconsistent actions.

Takeaways

• 📚 Cognitive Dissonance was first introduced by Leon Festinger in 1957, marking a significant concept in social psychology.
• 🤔 It is defined as the mental discomfort experienced when holding two or more inconsistent thoughts or beliefs.
• 🚬 An example given is a smoker who knows smoking is unhealthy but continues the habit, leading to dissonance.
• 🔄 To resolve dissonance, individuals might change their beliefs, alter their behavior, add rationalizing thoughts, or trivialize the inconsistency.
• 💡 Changing a belief, such as downplaying the health risks of smoking, can alleviate the discomfort caused by dissonance.
• 🏃‍♂️ Adjusting behavior, like quitting smoking, is another way to restore consistency and reduce dissonance.
• 🍇 Adding new, rationalizing thoughts, such as engaging in other healthy behaviors, can also help in managing cognitive dissonance.
• 🤷‍♂️ Some may choose to trivialize the inconsistency, accepting the dissonance without necessarily resolving it.
• 🧠 The need to resolve dissonance stems from the desire for a clear, consistent understanding of the world and the discomfort of physical tension it causes.
• 🔍 Research indicates that cognitive dissonance can lead to physical discomfort, which people are motivated to alleviate.
• 🎓 The motivation to resolve dissonance is heightened when individuals perceive they had a choice in the matter and anticipate negative consequences.

Q & A

What is cognitive dissonance?

Cognitive dissonance is a psychological phenomenon where a person experiences discomfort due to holding two or more inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or values.

Who first introduced the concept of cognitive dissonance?

Leon Festinger introduced the concept of cognitive dissonance in his 1957 book, where he outlined a detailed understanding of the theory.

How does cognitive dissonance manifest in an individual's thoughts?

It manifests when an individual holds two inconsistent thoughts, such as knowing that smoking is unhealthy while also being a regular smoker.

What are the ways Festinger suggested to resolve cognitive dissonance?

Festinger suggested changing one of the inconsistent thoughts, changing behavior to align with beliefs, adding new rationalizing thoughts, or trivializing the inconsistency to resolve dissonance.

Why do people feel the need to resolve cognitive dissonance?

People feel the need to resolve cognitive dissonance because it creates a sense of physical discomfort and inner tension, which motivates them to restore consistency and feel better.

What role does the perception of choice play in experiencing cognitive dissonance?

The perception of having a choice over the inconsistent behavior or belief is crucial for experiencing cognitive dissonance. If there is no choice, the inconsistency does not cause significant dissonance.

How does the perception of aversive consequences influence cognitive dissonance?

The perception of negative consequences resulting from the inconsistency increases the motivation to resolve the dissonance, as it adds a layer of potential harm to the inconsistency.

What is an example of cognitive dissonance provided in the script?

An example given is a person who smokes cigarettes despite knowing that smoking is unhealthy, leading to an inconsistency between their behavior and their knowledge.

How does cognitive dissonance relate to physical discomfort?

Cognitive dissonance is associated with physical discomfort, as studies have shown that experiencing inconsistency can lead to negative physical tension.

What are some strategies people use to add new thoughts to reduce cognitive dissonance?

People might add new thoughts that rationalize the inconsistency, such as acknowledging other healthy behaviors they engage in despite the unhealthy action causing the dissonance.

Why is cognitive dissonance important to understand in social psychology?

Understanding cognitive dissonance is important in social psychology because it helps explain how individuals cope with inconsistencies in their beliefs and behaviors, which can influence their attitudes and decisions.

Outlines

00:00

🚬 Understanding Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance is a psychological phenomenon that arises from holding two inconsistent beliefs or attitudes. It was first described by Leon Festinger in 1957. The concept is rooted in the discomfort people feel when they recognize an inconsistency between their actions and their beliefs. For instance, a person who smokes despite knowing it's harmful experiences dissonance. Festinger proposed several ways to resolve this dissonance: changing one's belief (e.g., downplaying the risks of smoking), altering behavior (e.g., quitting smoking), adding new beliefs to justify the inconsistency (e.g., emphasizing other healthy behaviors), or trivializing the inconsistency (e.g., not caring about the health risks). The discomfort of cognitive dissonance is not just psychological; it can also manifest as physical tension. People are motivated to resolve dissonance to restore a sense of consistency and reduce this discomfort.

05:03

🧠 Resolving Cognitive Dissonance

The motivation to resolve cognitive dissonance is influenced by the perception of choice and the potential negative consequences of one's actions. If an individual feels they had a choice in creating the inconsistency, such as writing an essay that contradicts their beliefs, they are more likely to experience dissonance. The presence of aversive consequences, or the belief that the inconsistency could lead to negative outcomes, also increases the drive to resolve the dissonance. For example, if someone writes an essay supporting a tuition increase despite opposing it, and they believe the school administration might act on this, they would feel a stronger need to resolve the dissonance. This could involve convincing themselves that a tuition increase is actually beneficial. Understanding cognitive dissonance can provide insight into how people adjust their beliefs and behaviors to align with their actions and maintain a consistent self-image.

Keywords

💡Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance is a psychological phenomenon where an individual experiences discomfort due to holding two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or attitudes at the same time. In the video, it is used to explain the internal conflict someone might feel when they smoke cigarettes despite knowing it's unhealthy. The concept is central to the video's theme as it explores how people deal with this inconsistency.

💡Inconsistency

Inconsistency refers to the state of being at odds with oneself or with one's beliefs, values, or actions. The video uses the example of a smoker who acknowledges the health risks of smoking but continues the habit, creating an inconsistency between their knowledge and behavior. This inconsistency is a key driver of cognitive dissonance.

💡Leon Festinger

Leon Festinger was a social psychologist who first formulated the theory of cognitive dissonance in 1957. His work is foundational to the understanding of how people handle internal conflicts between their beliefs and behaviors. The video credits Festinger for outlining the concept and discusses his insights into resolving dissonance.

💡Resolving Dissonance

Resolving dissonance refers to the various strategies people use to alleviate the discomfort caused by cognitive dissonance. The video outlines several methods, such as changing one's beliefs, altering behavior, adding new rationalizing thoughts, or trivializing the inconsistency. These methods are central to understanding how individuals restore consistency in their thoughts and actions.

💡Changing Beliefs

Changing beliefs is one of the strategies discussed in the video to resolve cognitive dissonance. It involves altering one's mindset to align with one's actions or to justify them. For instance, a smoker might convince themselves that smoking is not as harmful as they previously thought to reduce the dissonance between their behavior and their knowledge about health risks.

💡Changing Behavior

Changing behavior is another way to resolve cognitive dissonance, as highlighted in the video. It involves modifying one's actions to align with their beliefs or values. In the context of the smoker, this could mean quitting smoking to be consistent with the belief that smoking is unhealthy.

💡Adding New Thoughts

Adding new thoughts is a strategy to rationalize the inconsistency and reduce dissonance. The video explains that individuals might introduce new beliefs that justify their actions, such as a smoker acknowledging the health risks but also emphasizing their other healthy habits like eating well and exercising.

💡Trivializing Inconsistency

Trivializing inconsistency is a method of resolving dissonance where individuals minimize the importance of the inconsistency. The video uses the example of a smoker who acknowledges the health risks but decides not to care about them, thus reducing the psychological discomfort caused by the inconsistency.

💡Physical Discomfort

Physical discomfort is mentioned in the video as a manifestation of cognitive dissonance. It suggests that the mental state of dissonance can lead to actual physical tension or discomfort. This is supported by research that shows people experiencing dissonance may feel a physical reaction, which motivates them to resolve the inconsistency.

💡Choice and Dissonance

The perception of having a choice is a key factor in experiencing cognitive dissonance, as discussed in the video. It explains that if individuals feel they had a choice in their actions that led to inconsistency, they are more likely to feel dissonance and be motivated to resolve it. This is illustrated with the example of writing an essay against one's beliefs voluntarily versus being forced to do so.

💡Aversive Consequences

Aversive consequences refer to the negative outcomes individuals anticipate due to their inconsistent actions, which can intensify cognitive dissonance. The video explains that if there's a perceived negative future impact from the inconsistency, such as the school administration using a student's essay to justify a tuition increase, it increases the motivation to resolve the dissonance.

Highlights

Cognitive Dissonance is a term with deep roots in classic social psychology.

Leon Festinger outlined the theory of cognitive dissonance in 1957.

Cognitive dissonance is about inconsistency between two thoughts.

Example of cognitive dissonance: a smoker who knows smoking is unhealthy.

People resolve cognitive dissonance by changing thoughts, behaviors, or adding rationalizing thoughts.

One can also trivialize the inconsistency to resolve dissonance.

Dissonance is uncomfortable and motivates a search for consistency.

Physical discomfort is associated with cognitive dissonance.

Research shows physical tension during cognitive dissonance.

People are motivated to resolve dissonance due to the discomfort it causes.

Dissonance is more likely to motivate action when there is a perception of choice.

The perception of aversive consequences can increase motivation to resolve dissonance.

Understanding cognitive dissonance can help in social interactions.

Cognitive dissonance is a key concept in social psychology with practical implications.

The discomfort of cognitive dissonance can lead to changes in beliefs or behaviors.

The concept of cognitive dissonance can be applied to everyday situations.

Transcripts

Chances are good that you've heard of something called "Cognitive Dissonance."

It's a term that's starting to get thrown around a lot these days, but you

might not know that it has a really deep root in classic social psychology. In

1957, Leon Festinger wrote a book on the theory of cognitive dissonance and

outlined a really detailed understanding of what cognitive dissonance is and how

people deal with it.

Let's start out by talking about what cognitive dissonance is. How would

we define it? At the very basics, cognitive dissonance is about

inconsistency. When we hold two thoughts that are inconsistent with one another,

basically that's dissonance. So let's take the example of someone who

smokes cigarettes.

Here's a person who might have two distinct thoughts, one of which is:

"I regularly smoke cigarettes."

The other of which is the knowledge that "smoking cigarettes is unhealthy."

Here are two thoughts that a person can be having at the same time,

acknowledging both of these things as fact,

but they would seem inconsistent with one another. If you know that smoking is

bad, then logically, you probably wouldn't be engaging in that activity yourself.

And so this is a case of dissonance because there is inconsistency in your

own thoughts.

So what people do when they experience cognitive dissonance?

Well, there are a few ways in which Festinger said that you could resolve

the inconsistency as a way of resolving the dissonance.

First, you can change one of those thoughts. In the case of the smoker who

realizes that smoking is bad and also that he is a regular smoker,

he might change one of those beliefs and go, "Smoking's not that bad. It's

actually not unhealthy to smoke." That will be changing one of your cognitions--

--one of your thoughts-- as a way of restoring consistency.

Another thing you could do is change your behavior as a way to restore

consistency.

So, in this case, the smoker might say, "Well I, you know, if I acknowledge that

smoking is bad,

then the way I can be consistent is to stop smoking." So, changing one of the

behaviors

that's related to the inconsistency. Another thing people can do is to add

new thoughts into the mix--thoughts that help rationalize the inconsistency.

So, someone might say, you know,

"Yes, smoking is bad. Yes, I smoke regularly. But also, I do a lot of other healthy

behaviors. I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, and I exercise a lot," so I'm

adding new thoughts as a way to reduce the problem of inconsistency. And finally,

people can just trivialize the inconsistency completely. They can just

say, "You know what?"

"Sure, smoking's bad, and I smoke, but I just don't care."

"And that's going to be it. That's not really as big of a deal as people say

that it is." That would be another way of resolving dissonance.

** "Man, that's tobacco." **

But why do people feel like they need to resolve anything at all? What's the big

deal about dissonance?

Well, some people say that dissonance gets in the way of finding some

sense of truth. In general, if we want to understand the world, then we want a

clear, consistent picture of it. And when anything that makes us feel

inconsistency is something that's a problem, and we are motivated to restore

consistency again. But most of the research in dissonance has looked at

something a little bit different, and that idea is that it's physically

uncomfortable to experience cognitive dissonance.

There's actually some negative physical tension that you feel any time you

recognize two inconsistent thoughts or realize that you've done something through

your behavior that contradicts your true attitudes and beliefs. And so lots of

studies have shown that this is the case

by hooking up different sensors to people, or tricking them into

thinking that some pill makes them feel uncomfortable when in fact, just their

inconsistent thoughts is what's doing it. All of this research you can find more

about in my blog post on this topic, but suffice it to say that for the most part,

when you feel

cognitive dissonance, you're feeling actual physical discomfort -- you're

feeling inner discomfort as well.

And anytime we feel bad, we want to feel better! And to feel better, we just find a

way to be consistent again. That's the driving force behind cognitive

dissonance.

It's worth pointing out that there are a couple times when dissonance is

especially likely to motivate this action to resolve the inconsistency.

One of them is the perception that you had some choice over the inconsistency.

So, sometimes in cognitive dissonance studies, what they'll have people do is

agree to write some essay arguing against their own beliefs.

So, if you don't believe that your school should raise tuition, if you agree to

write an article saying that your school should increase tuition, then that would

be a case of dissonance.

However, it would only make you feel that dissonance and that motivation to

resolve inconsistency

if you felt like you had a choice over whether or not you wrote that essay. If

you didn't have any choice... if someone literally says, "You have to write an

essay before we can let you leave,

and it has to say 'tuition increase is good,'"

well then, you didn't have any choice over it, and it's not really that big of a

problem.

It's when you realize that you did have a choice and you chose to do the thing

that contradicts your own opinions that you have to then find some comfort

within yourself by resolving an inconsistency. In this case, convincing

yourself that you actually do like tuition increase. The other thing that

has to be there,

according to a bunch of research, is the perception of "aversive consequences."

In other words, you have to think that the inconsistency in your thoughts is

going to play out poorly for some reason in the future.

So, let's say you did write that essay saying tuition increases good.

If you believe that a school administration is going to read that

essay and then say, "Hey, you know, students think this is a good thing to do!",

there is a negative consequence. There is a negative consequence of your

inconsistent actions.

Now you're even more motivated to resolve the inconsistency and figure out

a way to think that tuition increase actually is a good thing to do.

Hopefully this helps clarify what cognitive dissonance is.

Now the next time you're at a party and someone throws around the term

"dissonance" (because you go to some pretty crazy parties),

you'll now be able to nod your head and actually know what they're talking about.

See you next time!