Cognitive Dissonance Examples: 5 Ways It Pops Up In Everyday Life

Cognitive dissonance makes it tough to change our minds, especially when the two beliefs are tied up in our identity. Paul Graham (founder of Y Combinator) recommends we fight this uphill battle by identifying with as few things as we need to. When you discover new information and you’re faced with the uncomfortable decision to … well, make decisions, embrace a positive outlook. Cognitive dissonance theory aims to explain the relationships between the motivation, perceptions and cognitions of an individual. Ultimately, it is up to each person to decide how to navigate cognitive dissonance to make decisions that align with their values.

Social Psychology

• The motivation phase focused on the motivational nature of dissonance to reduce the psychological discomfort.
• First, the person could remove the dissonant cognition by either changing his behaviour (stop smoking) or knowledge (believe that smoking is actually not bad for health).
• Members of the Children of God were taught to use “heavenly deception”.
• The elaboration likelihood model has been extensively imported into extant work on psychotherapy and counseling (e.g., Heesaker, Conner, & Prichard, 1995).
• When faced with two similar choices, we are often left with feelings of dissonance because both options are equally appealing.

It’s just a small local election.” Maybe you even told yourself that your vote probably wouldn’t affect the outcome that much anyway. You also swore you wouldn’t tell any of your friends or family how you voted. Although many psychologists have studied this phenomenon, it was first introduced to the psychology world by social psychologist Leon Festinger. His work on Social Comparison Theory, Cognitive Dissonance, and other phenomena have made him one of the most well-cited psychologists in modern history.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory Examples

• Moments of cognitive dissonance could push you to stop smoking, eat healthier food, speak out about what you believe in, or stand up for someone.
• They sought support from like-minded people and mentally disconnected from the negative situation to reduce the negative emotions.
• It causes a feeling of discomfort that can motivate people to try to feel better.
• Social psychology examines how individuals’ thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are influenced by social interactions, group dynamics, and societal norms.
• Or maybe you learn a new piece of information that disagrees with a long-standing belief or opinion.
• Similar others also maximize social influence, in Cialdini’s compliance principles.
• We can sometimes feel pressured into making decisions or taking action because people around us are encouraging us in a certain direction.

Developing critical thinking involves obtaining information from reliable sources, weighing evidence, and analyzing facts to make an informed, reasoned decision. It either brings about distress or has the potential to trigger individualized defense mechanisms as a coping strategy. Our content does not constitute a medical or psychological consultation. See a certified medical or mental health professional for diagnosis.

The Theory of Animal Mind: Evidence of Influencing Psychological Theories

You might get out of a toxic relationship, vote your conscience, or stand up for yourself or someone else. You think it’s by far the best bakery in town, and you also love to support local, independent businesses over big chains. But you recently learned that the owner doesn’t treat his workers very well.

Or maybe you learn a new piece of information that disagrees with a long-standing belief or opinion. We can all engage in habits that cause harm to ourselves or the world, and that can cause cognitive dissonance. Social facilitation refers to the improvement of performance on simple tasks in the presence of others. A student might perform better during anatomy lab practicals with their peers observing, as the pressure enhances focus and motivation. However, on more complex tasks, such as intricate surgical procedures, the presence of others could increase anxiety and impair performance.

• In his book “A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance,” Festinger proposed that two ideas can be consonant or dissonant.
• Individualism is discouraged and putting “God” or the group first is the norm (in this case, “God” often proves to be the leader).
• According to Festinger, cognitive dissonance occurs when people’s thoughts and feelings are inconsistent with their behavior, which results in an uncomfortable, disharmonious feeling.
• If they are part of a wider problem that is causing distress, people may benefit from speaking with a therapist.

Here’s a look at some everyday examples of cognitive dissonance and how you might come to terms with them. This article provides some examples of cognitive dissonance, discusses the signs, and offers some suggestions on how to cope with it. Social Influence Model 18 was created to analyze any relationship between the influencer and the influencee where predatory or undue influence takes place.

• Group control is maintained through information about a member’s past, gained either through formal confessionals or through other members’ reports.
• Yes, cognitive dissonance is the inconsistency and incompatibility of a person’s values, attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors.
• Or it could refer to the tension of holding two conflicting beliefs at once.
• By using these types of explanations, the smoker is able to reduce the dissonance and continue the unhealthy behavior.

Study Reveals How Different Types of Envy Affect the Brain

Individualism is discouraged and putting “God” or the group first is the norm (in this case, “God” often proves to be the leader). Prohibited or censured thoughts, feelings and activities (of self or others) must be reported to superiors. There will be narrow conformities in clothing, scent and/or hairstyle. Where people live and with whom they can live is highly significant, because members of destructive cults violate the human right of free association by ordering or shaming members into ostracizing, shunning or disconnecting from non-believers. From there, a unitary, discipline-straddling account of inconsistency compensation can uncover the true boundaries of this phenomenon, as well as compensation behaviors that have yet to find a cognitive dissonance and addiction disciplinary label.