...The cognitive dissonance theory states that inconsistency between attitudes and behaviors produces psychological discomfort, leading people to change either their attitude or their behavior in order to restore balance. After taking my first psych class, I started to interpret everything I did to be a product of some psychological phenomenon. So, naturally, when life got in the way of following my rules religiously, I diagnosed myself as cognitively dissonant every time what I did diverged from what I...
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...Issue Analysis: Cognitive Dissonance PSYCH/555 April 22, 2013 Dr. Keisha Anthony Issue Analysis: Cognitive Dissonance “Festinger's (1957) cognitive dissonance theory suggests that we have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and beliefs in harmony and avoid disharmony (or dissonance)” (McLeod, 2008). Issue 5: Does Cognitive Dissonance Explain Why Behavior Can Change Attitudes debates the cognitive dissonance theory with one of the authors challenging the theory by claiming that self-perception is a better explanation as to why people behave differently once they have acted outside of their norm as most people try to find some sort of consistency between their actions and their attitudes. Consonant and dissonant cognitions both affect the attitude on opposite ends of a spectrum. As with consonant cognitions the behavior matches the attitude and with dissonant cognitions have behaviors that conflict with their attitudes. One of the most powerful influences on attitude change is the motivation of people to maintain that consistency between their attitudes and behaviors. Although the cognitive dissonance theory is studied and utilized by psychologists all over the world, there are some who reject this theory and believe that self-perception is what enables people to decide on their attitudes, emotions, and behaviors because they are able to cast judgment upon themselves based on their behavior in different situations. Summary of both Arguments in Issue 5 Festinger...
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...In 1957, scientist Leon Festinger proposed “Cognitive Dissonance Theory”, which states that a powerful motive to maintain cognitive consistency can give rise to irrational and sometimes maladaptive behavior. Cognitive Dissonance affects the person's ability to make decisions and allows for them to escape the guilt. Lord of the Flies is an example of “Cognitive Dissonance” in humans, in that both the novel and the psychological theory illustrate the premise that humans tend to justify their actions by lying to themselves. William Golding’s book Lord of the Flies is about a group of boys whose plane crashes, leaving them stranded on an island. Throughout the book the boys lose their sanity and begin to fight. As the boys struggle to find a balance in power between Ralph, a young boy who was originally elected as leader, and Jack, a wild, ill tempered, boy who challenges Ralph; the two shy intelligent boys, Piggy and Simon, are ostracised and viewed as unreliable and suspicious.Subsequently Simon is brutally murdered after trying to alert the group that the monster they have feared is really just a dead military parachutist (Golding, 138-139). Later Piggy also dies as an effect of Roger, Jack’s second in command, crushing him with a boulder (Golding, 164-165). “Cognitive Dissonance Theory” is the theory that humans justify our actions by...
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...Oatis-Ballew May 6, 2012 Cognitive dissonance was fist examined by Leon Festinger, this arose from the observations he made of a cult whom believed that the earth would soon be destroyed by a flood. Members that had been faithful to the cult had to give up their homes and jobs to come and work for the cult. This came about after the fact the earth was not destroyed by the flood. The faithful members of the cult were ashamed and felt like they had made fools of themselves for believing that something like this was about to happen. According to cognitive dissonance theory, there is a tendency for individuals to seek consistency among their cognitions (beliefs, opinions). 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. This is the feeling of uncomfortable tension which comes from holding two conflicting thoughts in the mind at the same time. Dissonance increases with the importance of the subject to us, how strongly the dissonant thoughts conflict, our inability to rationalize and explain away the conflict. Two factors affect the strength of the dissonance: the number of dissonant beliefs, and the importance attached to each belief. There are three ways to eliminate dissonance: reduce the importance of the dissonant beliefs, add more...
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...University Online Prof. Robin Oatis-Ballew May 6, 2012 Cognitive dissonance was fist examined by Leon Festinger, this arose from the observations he made of a cult whom believed that the earth would soon be destroyed by a flood. Members that had been faithful to the cult had to give up their homes and jobs to come and work for the cult. This came about after the fact the earth was not destroyed by the flood. The faithful members of the cult were ashamed and felt like they had made fools of themselves for believing that something like this was about to happen. According to cognitive dissonance theory, there is a tendency for individuals to seek consistency among their cognitions (beliefs, opinions). 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. This is the feeling of uncomfortable tension which comes from holding two conflicting thoughts in the mind at the same time. Dissonance increases with the importance of the subject to us, how strongly the dissonant thoughts conflict, our inability to rationalize and explain away the conflict. Two factors affect the strength of the dissonance: the number of dissonant beliefs, and the importance attached to each belief. There are three ways to eliminate dissonance: reduce the importance of the dissonant beliefs, add more...
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...the equity theory, attachment styles, when to reveal and when to conceal, and the cognitive dissonance theory. These factors play a very big role in relationship baggage and they are all discussed extensively through many scholarly articles. The following articles illustrate the research done on the topic of partner baggage as it pertains to these particular factors in romantic relationships. Keywords: partner baggage, relational uncertainty, relational turbulence, dark side, interpersonal relationships According to an article by Sidelinger and Booth-Butterfield, partner baggage is defined as, “negative attributes and situations which create obstacles to optimal relationship outcomes” (Sidelinger & Booth-Butterfield, 2009, p. 405). That is just a really fun way of saying that one or both participants of a relationship have some issues that could be potentially detrimental to the relationship. Partner baggage is very common in most relationships, 69% of couples reported this about partner baggage (Sidelinger & Booth-Butterfield, 2009, p. 414). There is a lot of ambiguity in relationships to begin with (Spitzberg & Cupach, 2011, p. 31), but partner baggage adds another element of relational uncertainty. To understand partner baggage in relationships better, we will discuss this through the equity theory, attachment styles, when to reveal and when to conceal, and cognitive dissonance. Literature Review Equity Theory The equity theory can help couples determine...
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...Cognitive Dissonance: Abortion Individuals are social by nature and can be influenced by various factors when making choices. An individual is capable of feeling the pressure from family, peers, and community. An individual may also believe that doing something like cheating is acceptable if in the end one obtains the desire result. An individual may experience an internal exchange of ideas and problems when making a decision how to find the way through a complicated decision. Individuals may also negotiate and barter with their divine beliefs to feel at ease when making a decision to behave in an unpleasant and moral way. Cognitive dissonance theory is extremely active in this stage of disagreement, when an individual is in a state of moral conflict the theory is applied to regulate, find a balance, and to have peace of mind (Benoit, 2012). Individuals come upon countless situations throughout life when a complicated decision must be made; often times a person will even go against spiritual and moral beliefs when sensing external pressure. Moral and cognitive maturity along with a strong sense of self will assist on a logical decision. Identify the Situation Individual Consciously Made in a Behavior that Violated Cognitions Since the beginning of time, man expands all his mental facilities and physical limitations to discover the meaning of life and search to discover, when life begins. Physicians, scholars, theologians, and lay people have spent...
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...An Examination of Festingers Cognitive Dissonance Theory and Notable Modifications Sometimes the greatest test of a theory is its longevity. Over time, some theories will be disproved, some will be modified, and some will become the basis for a whole new group of theories. Leon Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance has stood up to challenge for over forty years, and is considered by many to be the single most important theory of social psychology. Though there have been modifications to the theory after many recreations and simulations of the original 1957 experiment, few have been able to really disqualify Festinger’s findings. It would be safe to say that many people don’t even have a full grasp of the incredible implications that Festinger’s research and experiments have towards the self-concept and behavior, myself not excluded. The actual definition of cognitive dissonance is almost too simple: an unpleasant feeling that arises from the contradiction of belief and action. Festinger, however, went on to find that dissonance would in fact change attitudes over time, helping people to justify their behavior when they know it is clearly wrong. Festinger’s original experiment was a simple procedure. Have someone perform a tedious task for a while, then inform the subject that the experiment is finished, but that they could be of assistance with the rest of the experiment as a research assistant. Festinger explained that his regular assistant was...
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...entire period of writing this study. I would not be able to complete this research without their precious advice. Meanwhile, I would also appreciate Professor Yung-Ming Shiu’s encouragement and insightful comments on my proposal and final defense. I would like to also thank everyone at the Institute of International Management and Business Administration, National Cheng Kung University, who has contributed to the completion of this thesis. Finally, I would like to appreciate my family members, who have offered their constant support for my study here and thank them for be always by my side. Abstract Keywords: Personalities, Core self-evaluations, Extraversion, Herding behavior, Individual investors’ performance, Cognitive dissonance, Return, Satisfaction. This research examined the relationship among investor psychology, herding behavior and investment performance. Four hypotheses were tested using survey data collected from 250 individual investors in Vietnam stock markets. The findings showed that core self evaluations are positively related to herding behavior. In addition,...
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...Cognitive Dissonance Cognitive Dissonance Consistency, the absence of contradictions, has sometimes been called the hallmark of ethics. Ethics is supposed to provide an individual with a guide for moral living, and to do so it must be rational, and to be rational it must be free of contradictions. When consistency and ethics are compromised, this is known as cognitive dissonance. Leon Festinger shared his brilliance with the world when he created the Cognitive Dissonance theory. Cognitive dissonance refers to a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors (McLeod, 2008). Cognitive dissonance produces an uncomfortable tension of discomfort leading to an alteration in one of the attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors to reduce the discomfort and restore balance. Situation In the United States, over two-thirds of the workers who call in sick are not physically ill (Perman, 2011). So why do employees jeopardize his or her job? A survey performed in 2007 found that absences were divided between personal issues, family issues, mental entitlement, and stress (Wolter Kluwer Law & Business, 2007). Employees are asked to give 110% to his or her employment and yet most supervisors and coworkers cannot empathize with personal and family issues. An employee may need an hour or two for a doctor appointment or to take a parent to an appointment. Perhaps there is a school function that a single parent would like to...
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...Cognitive Dissonance and Jenny McCarthy’s Death Toll Candace Stamper PSY/400 Russell Sempell June 4, 2014 Abstract Humans are great at rationalizing their behavior and actions. This is especially true when a group of people or a high status citizen supports an individual’s beliefs, even when there is no valid authority contributed to their stance. Individuals raised in the modern first-world are educated to believe in the science and efficiency of vaccinations to ensure public health and decrease infant and childhood mortality rates. A wealth of evidence exists to prove that vaccinations are safe, effective, and increase public health. The scientific and medical communities, by a vast majority, support the use of vaccinations and are desperately attempting to get vaccines to third world countries and end massive generations-long death tolls attributed to preventable diseases. The diseases that these vaccines prevent had been eradicated in the United States and Western Europe for decades. Why, then, are people willing to allow their children to go unvaccinated in first world nations? Cognitive dissonance may hold the answer to this question. Ian and Linda Williams are educated parents in Auckland, New Zealand, who refused to vaccinate their son, Alijah. This decision would be life-altering. The family was caught up in the recent anti-vaccine movement, promoted heavily by celebrities like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Jim Carrey, and Jenny McCarthy - one of the most famous opponents...
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...In the 5th Chapter of Opening Skinner’s Box, Lauren Slater explores Festinger’s cognitive dissonance theory. She defines the theory as an explanation of the compulsion to “… bring your beliefs back into alignment with your actions, so as to reduce the dissonance between your self-concept and your questionable behavior” (Slater). She focuses on a classical version of the theory, and consequently becomes fixated on a woman named Linda Santo and her daughter, who she feels perfectly embody Festinger’s theory. In her quest to understand how cognitive dissonance is applied in their lives, she treats Santo with disrespect for her faith and actively tries to show her the flaws in a harmless belief that she has built her life around. Her blatant disregard...
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...evaluated the experience more favorably: harsh and cold experimenter Group that did not evaluate the experience more favorably: amiable experimenter Reasoning and Explanations: In life, humans like to be in a state of psychological consonance, meaning that their behaviors match their attitudes and beliefs. However, sometimes humans enter a state where their behaviors do not match their attitudes and beliefs, which causes a state of dissonance. The state of dissonance is called the cognitive dissonance theory. In order to leave the state of dissonance, there are two options that humans can choose: either external justification or internal justification. Through external justification, people would use anything that they can point to from the environment to reason why they...
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...Cognitive Dissonance Theory Introduction: “Knowing that drinking alcohol is harmful, I like to drink more.” Cognitive dissonance refers to a situation conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviors. The above example depicts a conflicting cognition where I know that drinking is harmful to my health but I like to drink more. This is cognitive dissonance. A story about a fox that tried in vain to reach a cluster of grapes that dangled from a vine above his head. The fox leapt high to grasp the grapes, but the delicious-looking fruit remained just out of reach of his snapping jaws. After a few attempts the fox gave up and said to himself, ‘‘These grapes are sour, and if I had some I would not eat them." The fox changed his attitude to fit his behavior. Leon Festinger (1957) described cognitive dissonance as a psychologically uncomfortable state that motivates a person to reduce that dissonance. According to the theory, there is a tendency for individual to seek consistency among their cognitive (i.e. beliefs and opinions). When there is some kind of discrepancies occurring between attitudes or behaviors, something must be changed to rule out the dissonance. Thesis Statement: Cognitive Dissonance is a state of mind involving ones attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors. People feel discomfort leading to an alteration in one of the attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors to reduce discomfort and restore balance. Body Paragraph: According to Festinger, people consider many cognitions...
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...Cognitive Dissonance PSY/400 Cognitive Dissonance What is doing the right thing? Is doing the right thing always going to be the right thing to do ? Are there limits on doing what is right? Are there exceptions on what is right? When looking at cognitive dissonance, one has to understand what cognitive dissonance is. Cognitive dissonance is the feeling of when a person holds two conflicting thoughts in their mind at the same time. According to ITS psychology dictionary, Cognitive dissonance is define as, “a state of tension created when there are conflicts between an individual's behavior and beliefs, or between two beliefs.” (ITS Tutorial School, 2005) In this paper, the reader will look at a situation, and will automatically be able to see cognitive dissonance. We will then analyze the social, cultural, and spiritual influences on the individual’s behavior and his or her ethics. Describe the reciprocal relationship between behavior and attitudes, and explain how the individual could have used cognitive dissonance theory to rationalize his or her behavior. The Situation A man, Bob, meets a girl, Sarah, and starts to get to know her. Bob and Sarah start to click, then decide to take their relationship to another level. Bob and Sarah made the decision to become a couple and even talk about marriage. The relationship becomes serious but is still extremely new. Bob and Sarah really did not give each other a chance to get to know each other and start...
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