Cognitive dissonance is a psychological theory introduced by Leon Festinger in 1957. It refers to the mental discomfort or tension that a person experiences when they hold two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or attitudes simultaneously, or when their behavior conflicts with their beliefs or values.
The key elements of cognitive dissonance theory include:
- Cognitive Dissonance:
- The discomfort or tension that arises when an individual holds conflicting cognitions. Cognitions can be thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, or perceptions.
- Dissonance Reduction:
- People are motivated to reduce cognitive dissonance and bring their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors into alignment to alleviate the discomfort.
- Modes of Dissonance Reduction:
- Individuals may employ various strategies to reduce cognitive dissonance, such as changing beliefs or attitudes, acquiring new information to support existing beliefs, or minimizing the importance of the conflict.
- Relevance to Decision-Making:
- Cognitive dissonance is often observed in decision-making situations. After making a choice, individuals may experience discomfort if there were alternative options that had appealing qualities. To reduce this discomfort, they may downplay the positive aspects of the unchosen options and emphasize the positive aspects of their chosen option.
- Post-Decision Dissonance:
- This specific type of cognitive dissonance occurs after making a decision, particularly in situations involving choices between equally attractive alternatives. People may experience anxiety or regret about whether they made the right decision.
- Selective Exposure:
- To avoid cognitive dissonance, individuals may engage in selective exposure, seeking information that confirms their existing beliefs and avoiding information that contradicts them.
Example of Cognitive Dissonance:
Consider a person who is health-conscious and knows that smoking is harmful to health (cognition 1). However, this person smokes regularly (cognition 2). The inconsistency between the knowledge that smoking is harmful and the behavior of smoking creates cognitive dissonance. To reduce this dissonance, the person may either quit smoking, change their belief about the harmful effects of smoking, or minimize the significance of the health risks associated with smoking.
Cognitive dissonance theory has been widely applied in various fields, including psychology, marketing, and communication, to understand and predict how individuals strive for consistency in their thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors.