You tell yourself it’s OK since you’re taking care of your health in other ways. You still feel guilty, though, because you know it’s important to be active. Cognitive dissonance happens when you hold two conflicting thoughts in your mind at the same time — like loving both hamburgers and cows. There are a number of different situations that can create conflicts that lead to cognitive dissonance. There are also individual differences in whether or not people act as this theory predicts.
When our friends or partners act contrary to our beliefs and values, we perceive dissonance. Therapy can help patients by reflecting on and taking control of their thoughts. Sometimes when patients engage in a new, more constructive behavior, they can perceive dissonance simply because it is contrary to the way they used to act.
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In other words, the human brain is always filtering conflicting matters to support certain beliefs. On a broader level, mankind has cognitive dissonance to thank for enormous progress. Noulas claims that successes in women’s rights, reducing child marriages, and ending slavery are examples that result from cognitive dissonance. The main element from the cognitive dissonance theory is about two factors that affect the intensity of the dissonance.
She may tell him that he is wrong, or she may accept it as a possibility, and move on. In order to resolve the discomfort that occurs as a result of cognitive dissonance, people will consciously or unconsciously use one of three ways. The first is to adjust certain beliefs so they no longer conflict with behaviour.
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People who learn that greenhouse emissions result in global warming might experience feelings of dissonance if they drive a gas-guzzling vehicle. To reduce this dissonance, they may seek out new information that overrides the belief that greenhouse gasses contribute to global warming. Festinger’s (1957) cognitive https://ecosoberhouse.com/ dissonance theory suggests that we have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and behavior in harmony and avoid disharmony (or dissonance). This produces a feeling of mental discomfort leading to an alteration in one of the attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors to reduce the discomfort and restore balance.
So, while cognitive dissonance can be uncomfortable, it is a reminder that life is full of choices and decisions. ] and if the decision was close then the effects of cognitive dissonance should be greater. By bringing attention to the inconsistencies cognitive dissonance and addiction in our minds, cognitive dissonance may present an opportunity for growth. People who feel it could realize, for example, that they need to update their beliefs to reflect the truth, or change their behavior to better match the person they want to be.