PSYC 343 Cognitive Dissonance

What is Cognitive Dissonance?

the discomfort that people feel when two cognitions (attitude and behavior) conflict; when people behave in ways that threaten their self-esteem

How is Cognitive Dissonance reduced?

1. change the behavior

2. justify behavior by changing and attitude (denial)

3. justify behavior by adding a new attitude (rationalization)

What is Post-Decision Dissonance?

dissonance caused after making a decision due to the positive aspects of the rejection choice

How do we reduce Post-Decision Dissonace?

enhancing the attractiveness of the chosen alternative and unconsciously devaluing the rejected choice

What is the Justification of Effort?

tendency for people to increase their liking of something that they have worked hard to attain, especially if they have freely chosen to do so (ex. hazing, sunk cost fallacy)

What is Counterattitudinal Behavior?

behavior that runs counter to ones private beliefs and attitudes

What is External Justification?

reducing dissonance based on an external factor (ex. rewards, situational dispositions)

What is Internal Justification?

reducing dissonance by changing you attitude (ex. “maybe this isn’t so bad”) caused by lack of external justification

What is Insufficient Punishment?

dissonance aroused when lack of external justification limits one’s desires- results in internal justification

What is Hypocrisy Induction?

dissonance caused by having individuals make statements that counter their behaviors, reminding them of inconsistency between their behaviors and what they’re advocating

What is the Self Affirmation Theory?

the idea that people can reduce threats to self-esteem by affirming themselves in areas unrelated to the source of the threat “Yes, I did … but I also ..!”

What is the Self-Evaluation Maintenance Theory?

dissonance occurring when someone close to us outperforms us in an area central to our self esteem

How do we reduce dissonance related to the self-evaluation maintainence theory?

1. distancing ourselves

2. changing behavior to outperform them (can lead to sabotage in extreme cases)

3. changing cognition by deciding it isn’t important to us

What is Narcissism?

combination of excessive self-love and lack of empathy towards others

What is the Terror Management Theory?

self-esteem serves as a buffer, protecting people from the terrifying thoughts of their own mortality

How to people tend to decrease immoral dissonance?

rationalization their behavior (ex. “they deserved it”)

When peoples self-esteem and beliefs are threatened they tend to ? (cults)

double-down