Name: cognitive dissonance and self-image
Uploaded: 2020-02-12T11:07:44.000Z
Duration: 1 min 38 s
Channel: JoVE

People seek consistency between their own personal expectations of life&mdash;such as wanting to learn new subjects&mdash;and reality&mdash;going to class. In this balancing act, the two are aligned and the student feels comfortable as a functioning pupil. However, the person&rsquo;s beliefs and actions can sometimes be inconsistent. For example, his study group plans to meet at the local pub for a serious class rehearsal session. While he has a commitment to being studious, and drinking too much would interfere with this belief, he orders too many pints, which contradicts his scholarly expectations.

This latter situation is an example of cognitive dissonance&mdash;a state of mental distress related to simultaneously holding contradictory beliefs. Such psychological conflict produces discomfort, and as a result, the individual may respond in a number of ways to lessen the dissonance.

One, he could change his behavior: Next time, he will have just a single pint.

Two, he could change his beliefs: He may convince himself that studying for the exam really wasn&rsquo;t that important.

Three, he could justify his actions: He really needed a break.

And four, he could ignore or deny information: He might decide to think that beer really wouldn&rsquo;t impair his concentration.

Ultimately, individuals react to then align their behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes and return to a state of feeling better about themselves.

kognitive dissonanz

Cognitive Dissonance

Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris &amp; Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, &amp; Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our self-esteem or positive self-image. Psychologist Leon Festinger (1957) defined&nbsp;cognitive dissonance&nbsp;as psychological discomfort arising from holding two or more inconsistent attitudes, behaviors, or cognitions (thoughts, beliefs, or opinions). Festinger&rsquo;s theory of cognitive dissonance states that when we experience a conflict in our behaviors, attitudes, or beliefs that runs counter to our positive self-perceptions, we experience psychological discomfort (dissonance). For example, if you believe smoking is bad for your health but you continue to smoke, you experience conflict between your belief and behavior.

Later research documented that only conflicting cognitions that threaten individuals&rsquo; positive self-image cause dissonance (Greenwald &amp; Ronis, 1978). Additional research found that dissonance is not only psychologically uncomfortable but also can cause physiological arousal (Croyle &amp; Cooper, 1983) and activate regions of the brain important in emotions and cognitive functioning (van Veen, Krug, Schooler, &amp; Carter, 2009). When we experience cognitive dissonance, we are motivated to decrease it because it is psychologically, physically, and mentally uncomfortable. We can reduce&nbsp;cognitive dissonance&nbsp;by bringing our cognitions, attitudes, and behaviors in line&mdash;that is, making them harmonious. This can be done in different ways, such as:

<ul>
	<li>changing our discrepant behavior (e.g., stop smoking),</li>
	<li>changing our cognitions through rationalization or denial (e.g., telling ourselves that health risks can be reduced by smoking filtered cigarettes),</li>
	<li>adding a new cognition (e.g., &ldquo;Smoking suppresses my appetite so I don&rsquo;t become overweight, which is good for my health.&rdquo;).</li>
</ul>

More Examples, Please.

A classic example of cognitive dissonance is John, a 20-year-old who enlists in the military. During boot camp he is awakened at 5:00 a.m., is chronically sleep deprived, yelled at, covered in sand flea bites, physically bruised and battered, and mentally exhausted. It gets worse. Recruits that make it to week 11 of boot camp have to do 54 hours of continuous training.

Not surprisingly, John is miserable. No one likes to be miserable. In this type of situation, people can change their beliefs, their attitudes, or their behaviors. The last option, a change of behaviors, is not available to John. He has signed on to the military for four years, and he cannot legally leave.

If John keeps thinking about how miserable he is, it is going to be a very long four years. He will be in a constant state of cognitive dissonance. As an alternative to this misery, John can change his beliefs or attitudes. He can tell himself, &ldquo;I am becoming stronger, healthier, and sharper. I am learning discipline and how to defend myself and my country. What I am doing is really important.&rdquo; If this is his belief, he will realize that he is becoming stronger through his challenges. He then will feel better and not experience cognitive dissonance, which is an uncomfortable state.

The Effect of Initiation

The military example demonstrates the observation that a difficult&nbsp;initiation&nbsp;into a group influences us to like the group&nbsp;more, due to the justification of effort. We do not want to have wasted time and effort to join a group that we eventually leave. A classic experiment by Aronson and Mills (1959) demonstrated this justification of effort effect. College students volunteered to join a campus group that would meet regularly to discuss the psychology of sex. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: no initiation, an easy initiation, and a difficult initiation into the group. After participating in the first discussion, which was deliberately made very boring, participants rated how much they liked the group. Participants who underwent a difficult initiation process to join the group rated the group more favorably than did participants with an easy initiation or no initiation.

Similar effects can be seen in a more recent study of how student effort affects course evaluations. Heckert, Latier, Ringwald-Burton, and Drazen (2006) surveyed 463 undergraduates enrolled in courses at a midwestern university about the amount of effort that their courses required of them. In addition, the students were also asked to evaluate various aspects of the course. Given what you&rsquo;ve just read, it will come as no surprise that those courses that were associated with the highest level of effort were evaluated as being more valuable than those that did not. Furthermore, students indicated that they learned more in courses that required more effort, regardless of the grades that they received in those courses (Heckert et al., 2006).

Besides the classic military example and group initiation, can you think of other examples of&nbsp;cognitive dissonance? Here is one: Marco and Maria live in Fairfield County, Connecticut, which is one of the wealthiest areas in the United States and has a very high cost of living. Marco telecommutes from home and Maria does not work outside of the home. They rent a very small house for more than $3000 a month. Maria shops at consignment stores for clothes and economizes where she can. They complain that they never have any money and that they cannot buy anything new. When asked why they do not move to a less expensive location, since Marco telecommutes, they respond that Fairfield County is beautiful, they love the beaches, and they feel comfortable there. How does the theory of cognitive dissonance apply to Marco and Maria&rsquo;s choices?

&nbsp;

This&nbsp;text is adapted from <a href="https://cnx.org/contents/Sr8Ev5Og@10.16:MBKbyrYC@13/12-3-Attitudes-and-Persuasion" target="_blank">OpenStax, Psychology. OpenStax CNX.</a>

Kognitive Dissonanz

Sozialpsychologen haben dokumentiert, dass ein gutes Gefühl für sich selbst und die Aufrechterhaltung eines positiven Selbstwertgefühls ein starker Motivator für menschliches Verhalten ist ...

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cognitive dissonance and self-image

Cognitive dissonance is psychological discomfort that happens when a person holds two or more inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors. Social psychologists note that this conflict is especially likely to matter when it threatens a person's positive self-image. People often want to feel good about themselves, and a threat to self-esteem can shape what they do and what they believe.

Psychologist Leon Festinger defined cognitive dissonance in 1957. His theory says that when behavior, attitudes, and beliefs clash with a person's self-view, the result is uncomfortable. A common example is knowing that smoking is bad for health but continuing to smoke. Later research found that not every conflict causes dissonance. The conflict is most likely to matter when it challenges a person's positive view of self.

Cognitive dissonance is not only a mental feeling. Research has shown that it can also cause physical arousal and activate brain regions tied to emotion and thinking. Because the state is psychologically, physically, and mentally uncomfortable, people are motivated to reduce it. They can do that by changing the behavior, changing the belief through rationalization or denial, or adding a new belief that makes the situation feel more reasonable.

A military boot camp example shows how dissonance can work in real life. John, a 20-year-old recruit, is sleep deprived, exhausted, and miserable during training. He cannot simply leave, so changing his behavior is not an option. Instead, he can reduce the discomfort by changing his attitude and telling himself that he is becoming stronger, healthier, sharper, and more disciplined, and that he is helping defend his country.

The same idea helps explain the justification of effort effect. A difficult initiation into a group can make people like the group more because they do not want to feel that their effort was wasted. In a classic study, college students joined a campus group that would discuss the psychology of sex. Some had no initiation, some had an easy one, and some had a difficult one. After a deliberately boring first discussion, the students who faced the difficult initiation rated the group more favorably.

Later research found a similar pattern in college courses. Students who said their courses required more effort often rated those courses as more valuable. They also reported learning more, even when their grades were the same. The concept also fits everyday choices. Marco and Maria pay high rent in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and say they have little money, yet they stay because they love the area and feel comfortable there. Their explanation helps reduce the tension between their costs and their choice to remain.

Cognitive Dissonance and Self-Image

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Explore how cognitive dissonance affects self-image, why it feels uncomfortable, and how effort, belief changes, and real-life choices reduce it.

Cognitive Dissonance and Self-Image | JoVE K12

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Cognitive Dissonance and Self-Image

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