In the same vein, Cooper 2019 proposes the author’s personal view of this story, focusing on his own theoretical achievements. Gawronski and Strack 2012 offers an overview of the cognitive consistency field. More aimed at advanced researchers in cognitive dissonance, Harmon-Jones 2019 (the second edition of Harmon-Jones and Mills cognitive dissonance theory 1999) is an edited volume that synthesizes modern perspectives on dissonance. Cognitive dissonance plays a role in many value judgments, decisions, and evaluations. Becoming aware of how conflicting beliefs impact the decision-making process is a great way to improve your ability to make faster and more accurate choices.
Relations among cognitions
Use them to help others overcome unhelpful thoughts and feelings and develop more positive behaviors. This episode of the podcast Behavioral Grooves features an interview with Dr. Kathleen Vohs on cognitive dissonance theory. Dr. Vohs discusses the topic as it relates to supporters of Former President Donald Trump justifying one of his controversial tweets in 2019. Heider’s Balance Theory, on the other hand, emphasizes the desire for balanced relations among triads of entities (like people and attitudes), with imbalances prompting changes in attitudes to restore balance. If we put effort into a task that we have chosen to carry out, and the task turns out badly, we experience dissonance.
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Dissonance is the result of inconsistency between two or more cognitions, and these cognitions may represent one’s attitudes, thoughts about one’s behavior, or other stored information. As the number of cognitions that are inconsistent with each other increases, the amount of dissonance also increases. In fact, recent research has suggested that while a discrepancy between cognitions drives individuals to crave attitude-consistent information, the experience of negative emotions drives individuals to avoid counter attitudinal information. In other words, it is the psychological discomfort that activates selective exposure as a dissonance-reduction strategy.
Reducing the Importance of the Conflicting Belief
He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Induced compliance
Cognitive Dissonance and the Discomfort of Holding Conflicting Beliefs
Introduction to Psychology
- Cognitive dissonance occurs frequently and to all of us (Harmon-Jones, 2019).
- For example, years ago, consumers felt they were making healthy decisions by choosing a diet soft drink over a regular soft drink.
- This alignment reduces the likelihood of dissonance and enhances the effectiveness of marketing efforts.
- However, the parsimonious nature of its formulation and application made the theory subject to the paradox of simplicity and raised concerns about overlooking confounding variables (Festinger, 1957; Osgood, 1960; Zajonc, 1960).