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🎠social psychology review

key term - Cognitive Dissonance

Citation:

Definition

Cognitive dissonance is a psychological theory that describes the discomfort experienced when holding two or more conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes simultaneously. This discomfort often leads individuals to change their beliefs or attitudes to reduce the inconsistency, impacting how they present themselves, attribute social behavior, and respond to persuasion.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

  1. Cognitive dissonance can lead to attitude change when individuals feel uncomfortable about holding contradictory beliefs and seek to align their thoughts.
  2. People often use self-justification to explain behaviors that conflict with their beliefs, reducing dissonance and preserving their self-image.
  3. The phenomenon is stronger when the beliefs or actions in question are central to an individual's identity or self-concept.
  4. High levels of cognitive dissonance can lead to changes in behavior, such as increased effort to convince oneself or others of the correctness of a belief.
  5. Cognitive dissonance plays a significant role in understanding persuasion techniques, as it can be used strategically to influence people's attitudes.

Review Questions

  • How does cognitive dissonance relate to self-presentation and impression management in social situations?
    • Cognitive dissonance affects self-presentation because individuals want to appear consistent in their beliefs and behaviors. When there’s a mismatch between what they believe and how they act, they may feel compelled to change either their behavior or beliefs to align with their desired self-image. This need for consistency can drive them to present themselves in ways that reduce dissonance, such as altering their opinions or emphasizing certain traits that match their actions.
  • Discuss how biases in social attribution can contribute to cognitive dissonance in interpersonal relationships.
    • Biases in social attribution can exacerbate cognitive dissonance when individuals misinterpret others' actions based on personal biases. For example, if someone believes they are generous but sees a friend acting selfishly, it creates dissonance. They may attribute the friend's behavior to character flaws rather than situational factors. This attributional bias forces them to reconcile their belief in their generosity with the conflicting evidence presented by the friend's actions, potentially leading them to change how they view both themselves and the friend.
  • Evaluate how cognitive dissonance can influence resistance to persuasion efforts in various contexts.
    • Cognitive dissonance significantly impacts resistance to persuasion because individuals may feel threatened by new information that conflicts with their existing beliefs. When confronted with persuasive messages that challenge deeply held views, the resulting dissonance prompts defensive reactions. People might reject or dismiss the information outright, not wanting to confront the uncomfortable feelings that arise from reconsidering their beliefs. Understanding this resistance is crucial for effective communication strategies, as addressing potential dissonance can help facilitate more open-minded discussions.