Hello, dear readers of the blog site. In the conversation of educated people, you can often hear unfamiliar words borrowed from other languages or professions.
No one wants to look like an ignoramus in the eyes of others, so let’s try to expand our conceptual apparatus even more and find out the meaning of a mysterious term similar to a psychiatrist’s diagnosis - cognitive dissonance.
What is this, in simple words It's easy to explain. This is a conflict (internal) that occurs due to a discrepancy between what you saw (perceived) and what idea you had about it before. This collision of previously formed ideas and reality.
It’s more difficult to figure out whether it’s time to start worrying if it happened to you.
Cognitive dissonance as it is
Like most terms in psychological science, the concept of cognitive dissonance sounds mysterious, but hides a fairly simple phenomenon. It is formed from two words cognitio(to know, to know) and dissonantia(inconsistency, “contradiction”, contradiction), which in translation can mean “to feel a discrepancy”, “to feel discomfort”.
Let's use an example. Do you have a friend with whom you periodically exchange greetings? Imagine that at this moment you will see next to him an exact copy of him (a twin whose existence you did not imagine)? Your condition can just be described as cognitive dissonance.
There is a phrase very close in meaning - conflict within yourself. All people impose patterns on the events that happen to them and around them (they create attitudes and behavior patterns for themselves). So convenient. Breaking the pattern causes a state close to shock or stupor. The same dissonance (contradiction, psychological discomfort).
You will have a slight breakdown (break) of the pattern if, for example, you see a beggar who has been given alms for five minutes getting into his luxury car. Or if you catch a sweet, kind, quiet, polite person yelling at his child.
A priori be in a state of dissonance the person is not comfortable and he will strive to get away from it (allow, avoid, not notice, ignore). For example, a person will justify his own “bad” behavior to himself in order to reduce the degree of internal conflict (so that he can live with it).
Psychological discomfort also occurs when we make some choice for ourselves that affects our future destiny. Having chosen one of the contradictory settings, we will strive to create conditions for a comfortable stay in it. For example, having chosen an unrighteous path, we will eventually find excuses for ourselves, but at the moment of choice we will experience cognitive dissonance, which we will try to eliminate as quickly as possible.
Well, having the experience of “stepping on a rake,” we will in the future try to avoid and not take to heart such situations when internal conflict (psychological discomfort) can happen. In addition, we simply get used to the fact that our idea of something may well be wrong.
Striving for psychological balance
We can experience psychological balance only when we are in the “comfort zone”, and the ideas about the world around us, which are embedded in us by genetics and upbringing, are confirmed by the real “picture”. In other words, the expected coincides with the actual, and the desired with the possible.
We are designed in such a way that we feel confident only when when everything around is logical and explainable. If this does not happen, an unconscious feeling of discomfort, danger and anxiety sets in.
The brain begins to work in enhanced mode, processing incoming information. Brain activity is directed to smooth out this bipolarity and balance the situation to a comfortable state (consonance).
Examples of psychological dissonance from life
It’s good if the situation that plunges you into cognitive dissonance does not concern you personally. I saw it, scratched the back of my head, and moved on. It’s much worse if life circumstances put you in a situation. The collision of the base and the superstructure, the desired and the actual, life principles and the demands of the external environment is sometimes so contradictory that it can drive a person into a deep dead end.
For the first time a person consciously encounters this in family and school. There are many examples. “Smoking is harmful, if I see you, I’ll whip you,” says dad, blowing smoke rings. “You can’t take someone else’s,” my mother says, bringing a couple of packages of printer paper home from work.
“It’s not good to cheat,” they both say, and push the bag under the seat so as not to pay for luggage. In a child for whom parental authority is initially inviolable, an attack of cognitive dissonance begins- this means that he cannot make a choice.
Subsequently, the parents are surprised - the child, they say, is completely out of control, does not respect, and is deaf to educational measures of influence. And this is precisely the consequences of dissonance, which left its mark on the child’s fragile psyche.
If an adult, faced with a contradictory situation, shrugs his shoulders, twirls his finger at his temple, laughs, or, freaking out, continues to go his own way, then at a tender age inconsistency between what is known and what is seen can cause significant psychological trauma.
And since dual situations await a person throughout his life, then choices have to be made regularly. So a man who adores curvy women can date a model for the sake of social status. But at the same time, his state of unconscious discomfort will increase until it reaches a critical point.
A woman raised on patriarchal values will build a career, tormented by guilt that her husband and children do not get her attention. And this is it.
After graduating from school, the girl enters the medical academy to continue the family dynasty, although since childhood she dreamed of becoming an archaeologist. Perhaps, having matured, she will change her profession in order to get rid of the constant psychological stress associated with her unloved job ().
These, of course, are not the most difficult life situations; there are many more variations. It will not sound like an exaggeration that they lie in wait for a person at every step. So try to maintain your mental health here...
Mind Tricks to Combat Cognitive Dissonance
Surprisingly, our brain has already come up with everything without our participation. He has both methods for coping with cognitive dissonance and ways to avoid it altogether.
To reduce the level of psychological stress, a person unconsciously uses the following techniques.
- Refuse. Sometimes you need to give up your beliefs so much that you know that if you follow external circumstances, you will stop respecting yourself.
- Convince yourself. Sometimes it happens that external circumstances are so strong, and so much depends on them, that it is easier to give up your principles. You can adopt the technique of positive thinking, which allows you to find the positive even in a hopeless situation, and present it from the most favorable perspective.
- To avoid. In order not to fall into a psychological trap, you can stop your participation in events if they have taken an undesirable direction of development, and in the future even prevent them from approaching.
- Weed out. A cleverly designed brain is able to turn off the perception of those facts, memories and phenomena that are not comfortable for us.
All these processes take place at the subconscious level, so we cannot even explain to ourselves the reason for our action. And their goal is to keep a person in a safety zone, preventing him from getting into an uncomfortable situation that is difficult to understand.
An elastic conscience eliminates any psychological dissonance
Having committed an act that contradicts his beliefs, a person usually tries come to terms with conscience. The internal feeling in a conflict with conscience is perceived as very unpleasant, so any sane individual tries in every possible way to avoid getting into such slippery situations.
The human psyche is labile, and through self-justification a person is able to reconcile himself with the most seemingly disgusting state of affairs. On the one hand, this is how a protective mechanism works, which does not allow a person to “go crazy” when faced with super-stress conditions. On the other hand, it comes into effect adaptation mechanism, helping to adapt to any uncomfortable life situation.
But in some individuals this is overdeveloped. In this case, an unattractive phenomenon will be observed, which is aptly nicknamed “elastic conscience” by the people. Each of us has met people with similar characteristics - there are not so few of them. If you constantly fight with your conscience or look for excuses for it, then it becomes completely dull, and no amount of cognitive dissonance will help awaken it.
Life without “pangs of conscience” will become not only simpler, but also more lonely. This is understandable - it is unlikely that those around you will stand in line to get a friend who is unscrupulous and unprincipled.
The world's view of cognitive dissonance, or more precisely of its variety such as pangs of conscience, is generally similar. At the same time, Eastern culture is more related to them than Western culture. Moral principles Asian countries are rather related to the rules accepted in society, and people follow them without much thought. Christian morality is dictated from within - from the heart of a person.
The Orthodox tradition, in particular, explains the voice of the Guardian Angel, which tells a person what is good and what is bad. It is impossible to silence him, therefore it can be very difficult for a decent person to assuage the pangs of conscience.
Is everything so terrible?
Cognitive dissonance is not always a bad thing. Human brain by the age of 25, it stops developing, because the bulk of the information about the world around it has already been accumulated and processed. But he can be periodically provoked to further improvement, bringing himself into a state of cognitive dissonance.
In order for the mind not to get stuck at the level of a 25-year-old youth, it is recommended to periodically artificially take yourself out of your comfort zone– change the type of activity, place of residence or work, learn something new.
This helps artificially stimulate brain activity, pushing our gray matter to a new stage of development. The world is changing, and in order to feel comfortable in it, you need to constantly stimulate yourself to improve yourself. It is no coincidence that the term cognition translated from Latin means " I'll find out».
And the last thing that can be useful in an intelligent conversation is to thank Leon Festinger for the emergence of a new field of science, who introduced it into the scientific field back in the mid-50s of the 20th century.
Good luck to you! See you soon on the pages of the blog site
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Oksti - what does this word mean?
The feeling of psychological discomfort, uncertainty, and confusion is familiar to varying degrees to every person. One of the common causes of this condition is, according to modern psychologists, cognitive dissonance. What is hidden under this scientific term? We'll find out in this article.
A little history
The creator of the theory of cognitive dissonance is Leon Festinger, a scientist from America. At the end of the fifties of the last century, he formulated the main provisions of this topic. Behind the complex words lies a phenomenon quite familiar to the average person. The word “cognitive” comes from the Latin word “cognition.” The concept of “dissonance,” translated from Latin as “not in consonance,” came to psychology from the field of music, where it means “not harmonious.” The cognitive dissonance – this is a discrepancy between a person’s knowledge, beliefs, observations and new information.
Process mechanism
In the process of human development, a general idea of the surrounding reality is formed in his consciousness, which is called the “picture of the world.” It unites all knowledge, beliefs, faith, and ideas of the individual into a connected system. Everyone has their own, depending on the level of education, upbringing, personal qualities. A person feels part of the world.
We strive to find logical explanations for everything. Any contradictions, inconsistencies, violations of the laws of the surrounding world cause a feeling of confusion, fear, and insecurity. Even for a small child, stability and regularity are important.
Modern reality is so unpredictable and diverse that such inconsistencies and contradictions arise in the mind quite often. This is a normal phenomenon, which is even useful, as it forces you to react to the surrounding reality. This is one of the survival mechanisms.
Behavior Strategies
Leon Festinger observed that people behave differently when experiencing cognitive dissonance. He identified several behavioral strategies:
- A person, seeing that his beliefs and behavior contradict new information, changes himself. This is a complex behavior that requires a lot of will. Let's give a specific example. A beer lover learns that it is as harmful and dangerous to health as any other alcohol. He finds the strength to give up this habit.
- The second behavioral strategy: ignoring new information. Our beer lover, faced with information that is inconvenient for him, prefers not to notice it. A variant of the strategy is to filter incoming information: he does not notice the facts about the dangers of beer, but immediately clings to any mention of the benefits of alcohol.
- Denial of new information: our hero begins to argue with new information. If he manages to find information about the usefulness of beer, then he makes it the only correct one for himself. He himself will sincerely believe in it. For the human brain, psychological comfort is more important than objectivity.
- Cognitive dissonance leads a person into an unpleasant state of uncertainty and uncertainty. There is a need to get out of it as soon as possible.
Which method a person chooses depends on his personal and volitional qualities.
Examples from life
The most striking examples of cognitive dissonance arise when there are events in the world major changes, or major scientific discoveries appear that change generally accepted ideas about the world. Let's remember the story:
- The discoveries of Copernicus and Giordano Bruno radically caused a revolution in people's consciousness.
- Darwin's theory revolutionized the idea of the divine origin of man.
- Einstein's well-known theory of relativity changed the scientific picture of the world.
All these discoveries changed the socially accepted picture of the world, so the reaction to them was very diverse - from hostile denial to acceptance.
Phenomena that contradict one’s moral values and ethical standards. Let us remember the recent past of our country in the transitional post-Soviet period: what was condemned: speculation, the love of money, began to rule life. Many were unable to adapt to the new realities.
Since childhood, a person has been faced with a state of cognitive dissonance. Reactions at such critical moments may vary. The surrounding adults need to take care of the child’s fragile consciousness and prepare him to face an unpredictable reality. For example, if a family follows a religious upbringing, parents should think about how to reconcile the conflicting worldviews of faith and science.
Most dangerous adolescence. A child who lived in a family atmosphere where there were ideas about morality, good and evil, is faced with harsh reality. You shouldn’t fence him off from reality; it’s better to prepare him to meet it.
In order to be successful, it is important for a person to be able to respond to changes in the world around him. There is no single correct strategy. The agony of choice is a manifestation of cognitive dissonance that accompanies us throughout our lives.
Cognitive dissonance is a mental state accompanied by discomfort caused by inconsistency or inconsistency in the mind of a number of contradictory ideas and concepts. Despite the complexity of the name and definition, every person encounters something similar almost every day. Sometimes we, without knowing it, plunge ourselves into such a state, but more often this happens for reasons independent of the person.
Meaning of the concept
Cognitive dissonance is a psychological phenomenon that involves the occurrence of some inconsistency between two cognitions. Thus, often in his actions a person has to either neglect social guidelines or sacrifice personal principles. Because of this, a certain disagreement arises between action and belief.
As a result of the onset of cognitive dissonance, a person may resort to justifying his own actions or misconceptions that run counter to generally accepted norms. Otherwise, the individual has to direct his thinking in a new direction, which would correspond to the opinions of others and reduce contradictory feelings.
Cognitive dissonance - what is it in simple words?
Many psychological concepts and terms are not so easy to understand and understand their meaning. Sometimes detailed explanation is required. This also applies to such a phenomenon as cognitive dissonance. What is this in simple words? The explanation of this concept is much simpler than it might seem at first glance.
Each person has some kind of life experience and personal opinion regarding the solution of certain situations. However, it is not always possible to solve a particular problem based on one’s own ideas. Sometimes a person goes against his own opinion, for example, to please the opinions of others, social values, or the norms of the law. This discrepancy between thoughts and actions is called cognitive dissonance.
Sometimes it happens that an individual consciously or unconsciously violates certain rules (or even commits a crime). In this case, it is important to receive justification not only from others, but also from yourself. Thus, a person begins to look for or invent moments that can mitigate guilt in order to ease internal contradiction. It is also worth noting that such contradictions can arise not only among one individual, but also at the level of the collective.
Cognitive dissonance also often occurs when a person has to make an important decision. The individual is overcome by doubts that do not go away even when the final choice is made. Mental activity for some time will be aimed at sorting things out in my head possible options and their consequences.
Causes of cognitive dissonance
Cognitive dissonance can arise due to several common reasons, among which the following are worth highlighting:
- inconsistency of ideas and concepts that guide a person when making certain decisions;
- discrepancy between life beliefs and generally accepted norms in society or in a certain circle;
- the spirit of contradiction caused by the reluctance to follow generally accepted cultural and ethical norms, and especially when they run counter to the law;
- discrepancy between the information obtained as a result of a particular experience and new conditions or situation.
Author of the theory
The author of the theory of cognitive dissonance is Leon Festinger. This doctrine was presented in 1957 and was intended to explain the essence, causes, and patterns of this phenomenon. The author considered this concept as a phenomenon of inconsistency between various thoughts and ideas of an individual (or a group).
Watch the video: "Leon Festinger's Theory of Cognitive Dissonance"Hypotheses of the theory
L. Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance is based on two main hypotheses, which are as follows:
- due to the fact that the occurrence of cognitive dissonance is accompanied by psychological discomfort, the individual will try in every possible way to overcome this discrepancy;
- from the first point we can derive the second, which states that a person will in every possible way avoid situations that could plunge him into such a state.
Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance not only provides an interpretation and clarification of concepts, but also explains ways out of this state. In addition, the scientist considers a number of real cases, which are the most typical examples in psychology.
The essence of the theory
The first thing worth noting is the fact that the theory of cognitive dissonance belongs to the category of motivational ones. This means that this state is decisive in the behavior of the individual. We can say that it is ideas and beliefs that largely influence a person’s actions, as well as his life position. Thus, knowledge cannot be interpreted only as a set of certain facts. These are, first of all, motivational factors that determine human behavior both in everyday life and in non-standard situations.
The concept of cognitive dissonance combines two categories. The first of them is intelligence, which is considered as a set of certain beliefs and knowledge, as well as attitudes towards them. The second is affect, that is, the reaction to pathogens and stimuli. At the very moment when a person ceases to find a connection or feels internal contradictions between these categories, a state of cognitive dissonance occurs.
The process itself is inextricably linked with past events and experiences of the individual. So, having committed a certain act, a person may begin to repent or experience remorse. Moreover, this can happen after a significant period of time. Then the individual begins to look for an excuse for his action or some facts that can mitigate his guilt.
How to reduce dissonance?
The state of cognitive dissonance causes psychological discomfort, which the individual, quite naturally, tries to get rid of (or at least somewhat reduce discomfort). There are several ways to achieve relief from a contradictory condition, namely:
- change the line of your behavior (if you feel that you are doing wrong, or are acting contrary to your beliefs, you should direct your efforts in the opposite direction, if this seems possible in this particular case);
- convince yourself (meaning the search for justification for your actions in order to reduce their guilt or even make them correct in your understanding);
- filter information (in order not to feel internal contradictions, you should perceive only positive data, and not take all negativity seriously or avoid it altogether);
- take into account all the information and facts about the current situation, form an idea about it, and then build a new line of behavior that will be considered the only correct one.
How to avoid dissonance
Since the phenomenon of cognitive dissonance is associated with discomfort and psychological stress, many prefer to prevent this condition rather than deal with its consequences later. One of the most accessible ways to achieve this is to avoid any negative information that may contradict your personal beliefs or the current situation. This method fits into the concept of psychological defense, which was developed by Sigmund Freud and later developed by his followers.
In the case where the occurrence of cognitive dissonance could not be avoided, its further development can be combated. To do this, additional elements are introduced into the cognitive system, which are designed to present the current situation in a positive light. In this case, you need to ignore or in every possible way avoid those sources of information that can return you to the initial state.
One of the most common and accessible ways to cope with dissonance is to accept reality and adapt to it. In this regard, it is worth convincing yourself that the situation is acceptable. In addition, if the phenomenon is long-term, then psychological work should be aimed at changing one’s own beliefs
Cognitive dissonance: examples from life
In real life, quite often you can encounter such phenomena that cause a feeling of inconsistency or inconsistency of beliefs with the real situation. This is cognitive dissonance. Their examples are quite numerous.
The simplest example is a gold medalist and a C student who entered the university. It is quite logical that teachers expect high results and a decent level of knowledge from the first, but do not have much hope for the second. However, it may turn out that an excellent student will answer the question very mediocrely and incompletely, while a C student, on the contrary, will give a competent, meaningful answer. In this case, the teacher experiences cognitive dissonance due to the fact that his beliefs turned out to be inconsistent with the real situation.
Another example given by psychologist A. Leontyev illustrates the desire to reduce discomfort. Thus, imprisoned revolutionaries were forced to dig holes as punishment. Naturally, the prisoners found this activity unpleasant and even disgusting. To reduce the feeling of psychological discomfort, many gave their action a new meaning, namely, causing harm to the current regime.
Also, cognitive dissonance can be considered in relation to people who have bad habits (for example, smokers, or those who abuse alcohol. It is quite natural that they all sooner or later realize the harm of these phenomena for their body. In this case, there are two scenarios. Either the individual tries in every possible way to get rid of bad habit, or begins to look for excuses for himself, which in his mind can outweigh possible harm which will be detrimental to health.
Another example also relates to a typical life situation. So, for example, you see a beggar on the street who is asking for alms, but according to him appearance you can say that he doesn’t really deserve the money or doesn’t need it that much (or maybe he will spend it not on food or medicine, but on alcohol or cigarettes). Nevertheless, under the influence of your life principles or moral standards, you cannot pass by such a person. Thus, under the guidance of social principles, you do what you do not want.
Sometimes it happens that before an important exam, a student simply does not prepare for it. This may be due to laziness, health conditions, unforeseen circumstances, and so on. Thus, understanding your responsibility for the result and realizing possible consequences, the individual, however, makes no attempt to learn the notes.
Girls who strive to lose weight and torment themselves with diets are often exposed to cognitive dissonance. If at this time they want to eat, for example, a cake, then this will contradict their goals and general ideas about proper nutrition. There are several possible solutions to the problem here. You can continue to insist on your own and deny yourself sweets, or you can stop the diet altogether, making sure that you already look good. You can also make yourself a one-time indulgence, which will later be compensated by fasting or physical activity.
Conclusion
Many scientists and psychologists have studied the issue of cognitive dissonance. It is especially worth paying attention to the works of Leon Festinger, as well as Sigmund Freud and his followers. Their theories are the most complete and contain not only information about the phenomenon itself and its causes, but also about ways to solve the problem.
It is worth noting that the theory that describes the phenomenon of cognitive dissonance relates to motivational ones. The contradiction that arises as a result of the discrepancy between beliefs and desires and real actions largely influences what the individual’s behavior will be in the future. He can come to terms with the situation and try to reconsider his ideas, which will somewhat reduce the state of dissonance, or he can resort to attempts to explain or justify his behavior, avoiding real data and facts (protecting himself from the outside world).
To avoid a state of cognitive dissonance, you should avoid contradictory states and information that contradicts your beliefs. In this way, you can protect yourself from internal contradictions that arise from the need to act contrary to your desires and beliefs.
The cognitive dissonance
The cognitive dissonance(from English words: cognitive - « informative" And dissonance - « lack of harmony") - a state of an individual characterized by a collision in his consciousness of contradictory knowledge, beliefs, behavioral attitudes regarding some object or phenomenon, in which the existence of one element results in the denial of another, and the feeling of psychological discomfort associated with this discrepancy.
Literally this means: “lack of harmony in cognition, or in a normal translation - discrepancy between what was received and what was expected.”
The concept of "cognitive dissonance" was first introduced by Leon Festinger in 1957.
Cognitive dissonance theory
The theory of cognitive dissonance was proposed by Leon Festinger in. It explains conflict situations that often arise “in the cognitive structure of one person.” The theory aims to explain and explore the state of cognitive dissonance that arises in a person as a reaction to a certain situation, the actions of individuals or the whole
Main hypotheses of the theory
- due to logical inconsistency;
- “due to cultural customs”;
- in the event that an individual opinion is part of a broader opinion;
- due to the discrepancy between past experience and the present situation.
Cognitive dissonance occurs due to a discrepancy between two "cognitions" (or "knowledges") of an individual. An individual, having information on any issue, is forced to neglect it when making a decision. As a result, a discrepancy (“dissonance”) arises between a person’s attitudes and his actual actions.
As a result of such behavior, there is a change in certain (which the situation influences in one way or another) person’s attitudes, and this change can be justified based on the fact that it is vital for a person to maintain the consistency of his knowledge.
Therefore, people are ready to justify their delusions: a person who has committed an offense or mistake is inclined to justify himself in his thoughts, gradually shifting his beliefs about what happened towards the fact that what happened was actually not so terrible. In this way, the individual “regulates” his thinking in order to reduce the conflict within himself.
Degree of dissonance
In various situations that arise in everyday life, dissonance can increase or decrease - it all depends on the problem that confronts the person.
Thus, the degree of dissonance will be minimal if a person, for example, gives money to a beggar on the street, who (apparently) does not really need alms. On the contrary, the degree of dissonance will increase many times over if a person faces a serious exam and he does not try to prepare for it.
Dissonance can (and does) arise in any situation when a person has to make a choice. Moreover, the degree of dissonance will increase depending on how important this choice is for the individual...
Reducing dissonance
It is clear that the existence of dissonance, regardless of the degree of its strength, forces a person to get rid of it completely, and if for some reason this is not yet possible, then to significantly reduce it. To reduce dissonance, a person can resort to four methods:
- change your behavior;
- change “cognition”, that is, convince yourself of the opposite;
- filter incoming information regarding a given issue or problem.
- development of the first method: apply the criterion of truth to the information received, admit your mistakes and act in accordance with a new, more complete and clear understanding of the problem.
Let's explain this with a specific example. For example, a person is a heavy smoker. He receives information about the dangers of smoking - from a doctor, an acquaintance, from a newspaper or from another source. According to the information received, he will either change his behavior - that is, quit smoking, because he is convinced that it is too harmful to his health. Or he can deny that smoking is harmful to his body, try, for example, to find some information that smoking can be “beneficial” to some extent (for example, while he smokes, he does not gain excess weight, as happens when a person quits smoking), and thereby reduce the importance of negative information. This reduces the dissonance between his knowledge and actions. In the third case, he will try to avoid any information emphasizing the dangers of smoking.
Preventing and avoiding dissonance
In some cases, an individual can prevent the emergence of dissonance and, as a result, internal discomfort by trying to avoid any negative information regarding his problem. If dissonance has already arisen, then the individual can avoid increasing it by adding one or more cognitive elements “to the cognitive scheme” instead of the existing negative element (which generates dissonance). Thus, the individual will be interested in seeking information that would support his choice (his decision) and ultimately reduce or completely eliminate dissonance, while avoiding sources of information that will increase it. However, frequent such behavior of an individual can lead to negative consequences: a person may develop a fear of dissonance or prejudice, which is a dangerous factor influencing the individual’s worldview.
A relationship of incongruity (dissonance) may exist between two (or more) cognitive elements. When dissonance occurs, the individual strives to reduce its degree, avoid it, or get rid of it completely. This desire is justified by the fact that a person sets as his goal a change in his behavior, a search for new information regarding the situation or object that “generated dissonance.”
It is quite understandable that it is much easier for a person to agree with the existing state of affairs, adjusting his internal attitudes according to the current situation, instead of continuing to be tormented by the question of whether he did the right thing. Often dissonance arises as a consequence of making important decisions. Choosing from two equally tempting alternatives is not easy for a person, however, having finally made this choice, a person often begins to feel “dissonant cognitions,” that is, the positive aspects of the option that he refused, and not so positive features what he agreed with. To suppress (weaken) dissonance, a person tries with all his might to exaggerate the significance of the decision he has made, while simultaneously downplaying the importance of the rejected one. As a result, the other alternative loses all attractiveness in his eyes.
Literature
see also
Links
- Festinger L. Introduction to the theory of dissonance. // Festinger L. Theory of cognitive dissonance. - St. Petersburg: Yuventa, 1999. - P. 15-52.
- Deryabin A. A. Self-concept and the theory of cognitive dissonance: a review of foreign literature.
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See what “Cognitive dissonance” is in other dictionaries:
THE COGNITIVE DISSONANCE- (eng. cognitive dissonance) the experience of discomfort arising from actions that go against one’s own beliefs (attitudes). An internal problem, an intrapersonal conflict, can be resolved by changing beliefs or interpretation... ... Great psychological encyclopedia
- (lat. dissonans discordant sounding, cognitio knowledge, cognition) a concept in social psychology that explains the influence of a system of cognitive elements on human behavior, describing the formation of social motivations under their influence... ... The latest philosophical dictionary
- (cognitive dissonance) A condition characterized by a collision in the mind of an individual of conflicting knowledge, beliefs, and behavioral attitudes regarding some object or phenomenon. A person seeks to overcome cognitive dissonance by... ... Dictionary of business terms
Intellectual conflict that occurs when existing opinions and ideas are contradicted by new information. Discomfort or tension caused by conflict can be relieved by one of several protective actions: the individual... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia
English dissonance, cognitive; German cognitive dissonance. According to L. Festinger, a state characterized by a collision in the individual’s mind of conflicting knowledge, beliefs, and behavioral attitudes regarding k.l. object or phenomenon that causes... Encyclopedia of Sociology
Noun, number of synonyms: 1 inadequate state (1) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Synonym dictionary
the cognitive dissonance- pažinimo disonansas statusas T sritis švietimas apibrėžtis Asmenybės būsena, atsirandanti dėl žinojimo, įsitikinimų ir veiklos bei elgesio prieštaravimų. Esant pažinimo disonanso būsenai, išgyvenamas vidinis nepatogumas (diskomfortas) arba… … Enciklopedinis edukologijos žodynas
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Cognitive dissonance is a negative condition in which individuals experience mental discomfort caused by confrontation in their minds of conflicting ideas, values, knowledge, worldviews, ideas, beliefs, behavioral attitudes or reactions of an emotional nature.
The concept of cognitive dissonance was first proposed by L. Festinger, a specialist in the field of psychology of thought control. In his research during the analysis of the individual’s worldview, he was based on the principles of balance. He began his theory with the postulate that individuals strive for a certain coherence as a necessary internal state. When contradictions arise among individuals between their knowledge base and actions, they strive to somehow explain such a contradiction, as a result of which they present it as a “non-contradiction” in order to achieve a sense of internal cognitive coherence.
Causes of cognitive dissonance
The following factors are identified: causing the condition cognitive dissonance, as a result of which individuals often feel internal dissatisfaction:
Logical inconsistency;
The dissimilarity of one person’s opinion with the generally accepted one;
Reluctance to follow cultural norms established in a certain territory, where traditions are sometimes guided more than by legislation;
A conflict between an already experienced experience and a similar new situation.
Cognitive personality dissonance arises due to the inadequacy of the individual’s two cognitions. A person, having information on a problem, is forced to ignore it when making a decision and, as a result, a discrepancy or dissonance appears between the individual’s ideas and his actual actions. As a result of such behavior, a change in certain ideas of the individual is observed. Such a change is justified based on the vital need of a person to maintain the consistency of his own knowledge.
That is why humanity is ready to justify its own mistakes, because an individual who has committed an offense tends to look for excuses for himself in his thoughts, while gradually shifting his own attitudes regarding what happened in the direction that what happened in reality is not so terrible. In this way, the individual “manages” his own thinking in order to minimize confrontation within himself.
Festinger's modern theory of cognitive dissonance finds its goal in the study and interpretation of contradictions that arise both in individual human individuals and in groups of people.
Everyone, over a certain period of time, acquires a certain amount of life experience, but beyond the time limit, he must function according to the circumstances in which he exists, contrary to the acquired knowledge. This will cause psychological discomfort. And to alleviate such discomfort, the individual has to find a compromise.
Cognitive dissonance in psychology is an attempt to explain the motivation of human actions, their actions in a variety of everyday situations. And emotions are the main motive for appropriate behavior and actions.
In the concept of cognitive dissonance, logically contradictory knowledge is assigned the status of motivation, which is designed to ensure the elimination of the emerging feeling of discomfort when faced with inconsistencies through the transformation of existing knowledge or social prescriptions.
The author of the theory of cognitive dissonance, L. Festinger, argued that this state is the strongest motivation. According to the classical formulation of L. Festinger, cognitive dissonance is a discrepancy between thoughts, attitudes, information, etc., while the denial of one concept comes from the existence of another.
The concept of cognitive dissonance characterizes methods for eliminating or smoothing out such contradictions and demonstrates how an individual does this in typical cases.
Cognitive dissonance - examples from life: two individuals entered the institute, one of whom was a medalist, and the second was a C student. Naturally, the teaching staff expects excellent knowledge from a medal winner, but nothing is expected from a C student. Dissonance occurs when such a C student answers the question more competently, more comprehensively and completely than the medalist.
Cognitive dissonance theory
Most motivational theories were first discovered in the works of ancient philosophers. Today there are already several dozen such theories. In modern psychological teachings about motivation, which claim to explain human behavior, the prevailing approach today is the cognitive approach to the motivational sphere of the individual, in which phenomena associated with the understanding and knowledge of the individual are of particular importance. The main postulate of the authors of cognitive concepts was the point of view that the behavioral reactions of subjects are guided by knowledge, judgments, attitudes, ideas, views about what is happening in the world, opinions about the causes and their consequences. Knowledge is not a simple collection of data. An individual’s ideas about the world predetermine and construct future behavior. Everything an individual does and how he does it depends not so much on fixed needs, deep aspirations and eternal desires, but on relatively changeable ideas about reality.
Cognitive dissonance in psychology is a state of discomfort in the individual’s psyche, provoked by the confrontation of conflicting ideas in his mind. The socio-psychological study of cognitions was developed to explain changes in cognitions (opinions, attitudes, attitudes) as a method of eliminating logical conflict situations.
Cognitive personality dissonance is characterized by specific feature, which consists in linking together and, in other words, the emotional and cognitive components of attitudes.
The state of cognitive dissonance arises as a result of the individual’s awareness that his actions do not have sufficient grounds, that is, he acts in confrontation with his own attitudes and attitudes, when the personal meaning of behavior is unclear or unacceptable for individuals.
The concept of cognitive dissonance argues that, of the possible methods of interpreting and evaluating such a situation (objects) and one’s own actions in it, an individual gives preference to those that generate a minimum of anxiety and remorse.
Cognitive dissonance - examples from life were given by A. Leontyev: revolutionary prisoners who were forced to dig holes certainly perceived such actions as meaningless and unpleasant, a decrease in cognitive dissonance occurred after the prisoners reinterpreted their own actions - they began to think that they were digging the grave of tsarism. This idea contributed to the emergence of an acceptable personal meaning for the activity.
Cognitive dissonance can arise as a consequence of past actions. For example, when an individual in a specific situation has committed an act, which then provokes the appearance of remorse in him, as a result of which amendments can be made to the interpretation of circumstances and their assessment, which eliminate the grounds for experiencing this state. In most cases, this turns out to be simple, since life circumstances are often ambiguous. For example, when a smoker learns about the discovery of a cause-and-effect relationship between the occurrence of cancer and smoking, he has many tools aimed at reducing cognitive dissonance. Thus, in accordance with cognitive theories of motivation, an individual’s behavior depends on his worldview and cognitive assessment of the situation.
How to get rid of cognitive dissonance? Often, external attribution or justification is used to eliminate cognitive dissonance. Responsibility for actions can be removed by recognizing them as forced measures (forced, ordered) or justification can be based on self-interest (they paid well). In cases where there are few reasons for external justification, another method is used - changing attitudes. For example, if an individual was forced to lie, then unconsciously he amends his original judgment about reality, adjusting it to a “false statement”, as a result of which it is subjectively transformed into the “truth”.
According to a number of postulates, this concept converges with the theories of cognitive balance and attribution introduced by the Austrian-American psychologist F. Heider, who based his theories on the principles of Gestalt psychology.
In the variety of situations that arise in everyday life, dissonance can increase or decrease. The degree of its expression depends on the problematic tasks that face the individual.
Dissonance occurs under any conditions if an individual needs to make a choice. At the same time, its level will increase depending on the degree of importance of this choice for a person.
The presence of dissonance, regardless of the level of its intensity, forces the individual to free himself from it one hundred percent or significantly reduce it, if for some reason this is not yet possible.
To reduce dissonance, an individual can use four methods:
Change your own behavior;
Transform one of the cognitions, in other words, reassure yourself of the opposite;
Filter incoming information regarding a specific problem;
Apply the criterion of truth to the information received, admit mistakes and act in accordance with a new, more specific and clear understanding of the problem.
Sometimes an individual can prevent the occurrence of this condition and its consequences of internal discomfort by trying to avoid information about his problem, which comes into confrontation with existing data.
The filtering mechanisms of personally significant information for individuals are well described in the theories of Sigmund and Anna Freud about psychological “defenses.” The contradiction that arises in the minds of subjects regarding significant deep-personal themes is, according to S. Freud, a key mechanism in the formation of neuroses.
If dissonance has already arisen, the subject can prevent its increase by adding one or more elements of cognition to the cognitive scheme to replace the existing negative element that provokes dissonance. Consequently, the subject will be interested in finding information that will approve his choice and weaken or eliminate this condition completely, while it is necessary to avoid sources of information that can provoke its increase. Often, such actions of subjects can lead to negative results - the individual may develop prejudice or fear of dissonance, which is a dangerous factor affecting the individual’s views.
There may be contradictory relationships between several cognitive components. When dissonance occurs, individuals strive to reduce its intensity, avoid it, or completely get rid of it. Such aspiration is justified by the fact that the subject sets as his goal the transformation of his own behavior, finding new information that would relate to the situation or phenomenon that gave rise to dissonance.
It is completely understandable that it is easier for an individual to agree with the current state of affairs, adjusting his own internal ideas in accordance with the current situation, instead of lengthy reflection on the problem of the correctness of his actions. Often this negative state appears as a result of making serious decisions. Preferring one of the alternatives (equally tempting) is not easy for an individual, but having finally made such a choice, the individual often begins to become aware of “opposing cognitions,” in other words, the positive aspects of the version from which he turned away, and the not entirely positive aspects of the alternative, with which he agreed to.
To weaken or completely suppress dissonance, the individual seeks to exaggerate the importance of the judgment he has accepted, while at the same time, downplaying the significance of the rejected one. As a result of this behavior, the other alternative loses all attractiveness in his eyes.
Cognitive dissonance and complete (a state of oppressive tension, feelings of hopelessness, anxiety) have the same adaptive strategies for getting rid of a problematic situation, since both dissonance and frustration cause in subjects a feeling of disharmony, which they try with all their might to avoid. However, along with this, dissonance and the situation that provoked it can also be frustration.
Festinger's cognitive dissonance
Cognitive motivational theories, which are being intensively developed today, originate from the well-known works of L. Festinger.
The theory of cognitive dissonance in Festinger's work has two fundamental advantages that distinguish a scientific concept from a non-scientific one. The first advantage lies, to use Einstein's formulation, in its reliance on the most general foundations. From such general grounds, Festinger deduced consequences that can be subjected to experimental verification. This is the second advantage of Festinger's teaching.
Leon Festinger's cognitive dissonance involves some kind of confrontation between several cognitions. He interprets cognition quite broadly. In his understanding, cognition is any knowledge, belief, opinion regarding the environment, one’s own behavioral reactions or oneself. A negative state is experienced by the subject as a feeling of discomfort, from which he strives to get rid of and restore internal harmony. It is this desire that is considered the most powerful motivating factor in human behavior and his worldview.
A state of contradiction between cognition X and cognition Y arises if cognition Y does not emerge from cognition X. Consonance between X and Y, in turn, is observed when Y emerges from X. The individual always strives to achieve internal consistency, that is, strives for the state consonance. So, for example, an individual who is inclined to be overweight decided to stick to a diet (X-cognition), but is not able to deny himself a chocolate bar (Y-cognition). An individual who wants to lose weight is not recommended to consume chocolate. This is where the dissonance lies. Its origin motivates the subject to reduce, in other words, to eliminate, reduce dissonance. To solve this problem, an individual has three main ways:
Transform one of the cognitions (in a specific example, stop eating chocolate or end a diet);
Minimize the significance of the cognitions involved in the oppositional relationship (decide that being overweight is not a big sin or that eating chocolate does not affect significant weight gain);
Add new cognition (a chocolate bar increases weight, but at the same time has a beneficial effect on intellectual sphere).
The last two methods are a kind of adaptive strategy, that is, the individual adapts while maintaining the problem.
Cognitive dissonance requires reduction and motivates it, leading to a modification of relationships, and then behavior.
Below are two of the most famous effects associated with the emergence and elimination of cognitive dissonance.
The first occurs in a situation of behavior that conflicts with the individual’s evaluative attitude towards something. If a subject agrees to do something without coercion that is in any way inconsistent with his attitudes or point of view, and if such behavior does not have a convincing external justification (monetary reward), then subsequently attitudes and views are transformed in the direction of greater compliance with behavior. In the case when the subject agrees to actions that are slightly contrary to his moral values or moral guidelines, then the result of this will be the emergence of dissonance between moral beliefs and knowledge about behavior, and in the future the beliefs will change in the direction of lowering morality.
The second effect found in research on cognitive dissonance is called dissonance after a difficult decision. A decision is called difficult when the alternative phenomena or objects from which a choice has to be made are equally attractive. In such cases, most often, after making a choice, that is, after making a decision, the individual experiences cognitive dissonance, which is a consequence of the resulting contradictions. Indeed, in the chosen option, on the one hand, there are negative aspects, and in the rejected option, on the other hand, positive features are found. In other words, the accepted alternative is partly bad, but still accepted. The rejected option is partly good, but rejected. During the experimental analysis of the results of a difficult decision, it was revealed that over time after making such a decision, the subjective attractiveness of the chosen alternative increases and the subjective attractiveness of the rejected one decreases.
The individual is thus freed from cognitive dissonance. In other words, the person convinces himself about the chosen option that this option is not just slightly better than the rejected one, but significantly better. By such actions the subject seems to expand alternatives. From this, we can conclude that complex decisions increase the likelihood of behavioral reactions consistent with the chosen option.
For example, when an individual was tormented for a long time by the choice between cars of brand “A” and “B”, but in the end gives preference to brand “B”, then in the future the chance of choosing cars of brand “B” will be slightly higher than before purchasing it. This is due to the increase in the relative attractiveness of B-brand cars.
Leon Festinger's cognitive dissonance is a specific variation of problem situations. Therefore, it is necessary to determine with the help of which protective mechanisms and non-defensive adaptive tools an adaptive strategy is carried out, if it is used to rid the individual of dissonances. This strategy may be unsuccessful and cause increased dissonance, giving rise to new frustrations.
There are also forces that resist reducing dissonance. For example, changes in behavior and judgments about such behavior often change, but sometimes this is difficult or involves loss. It is difficult, for example, to give up habitual actions, since the individual likes them. New cognitive dissonance and complete frustration may arise as a result of the transformation of other variations of habitual behavior, which entails material and financial losses. There are forms of behavior that generate dissonance that the individual is not able to modify (phobic reactions).
In conclusion, we can say that Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance is quite simple and summary as follows:
Relationships of incongruity may exist between cognitive elements;
The emergence of dissonance contributes to the emergence of a desire to reduce its impact and avoid its further growth;
Manifestations of such a desire include a transformation of behavioral response, a modification of attitude, or a conscious search for new opinions and information regarding the judgment or phenomenon that gave rise to the dissonance.
Examples of cognitive dissonance
What is cognitive dissonance? The definition of this concept lies in the understanding that every action of an individual that goes against his knowledge or beliefs will provoke the emergence of dissonance. It does not matter whether such actions are forced or not.
How to get rid of cognitive dissonance? In order to understand this, we can consider behavioral strategies using examples. This condition can be caused by the simplest everyday situations. For example, an individual stands at a bus stop and sees two subjects in front of him, one of whom gives the impression of a respectable and successful man, and the second of whom resembles a homeless person. These two people are eating something in a wrapper. According to the knowledge of the individual, the first subject should throw the wrapper into the trash can, which is located at the same stop three steps away from him, and the second subject, in his opinion, will most likely throw the piece of paper in the same place where it is, that is, he will not bother himself with to come up and throw the trash in the trash can. Dissonance occurs when an individual sees the behavior of subjects that runs counter to his ideas. In other words, when a respectable man throws a wrapper at his feet and when a homeless person covers a distance of three steps to throw the piece of paper into the trash bin, a contradiction ensues - opposing ideas collide in the mind of the individual.
Another example. An individual wants to gain an athletic physique. After all, it is beautiful, attracts the gaze of the opposite sex, makes you feel good, and helps improve your health. To achieve the goal, he needs to start exercising regularly. physical exercise, normalize nutrition, try to follow the regime and adhere to a certain daily routine, or find a bunch of justifying factors indicating that he doesn’t really need it (not enough finances or free time, supposedly poor health, body type within normal limits). Any actions of the individual, thus, will be directed towards reducing dissonance - liberation from confrontation within himself.
In this case, it is almost always possible to avoid the appearance of cognitive dissonance. Often this is facilitated by simply ignoring any information regarding problematic issue, which may differ from the existing one. In the case of an already emerging state of dissonance, its further development and strengthening should be neutralized by adding new beliefs to the system of one’s own ideas, replacing the old ones with them. An example of this is the behavior of a smoker who understands that smoking is harmful to his health and those around him. The smoker is in a state of dissonance. He can exit it:
By changing behavior - quit smoking;
By changing knowledge (convince yourself of the exaggerated dangers of smoking or convince yourself that all information about the dangers of smoking is completely unreliable);
Take any messages about the dangers of smoking with caution, in other words, simply ignore them.
However, such a strategy can often lead to fear of dissonance, prejudice, the emergence of personality disorders, and sometimes to neuroses.
What does cognitive dissonance mean? In simple words, its definition is as follows. Dissonance is a certain state in which a person feels discomfort caused by the presence of two or more contradictory knowledge (beliefs, ideas) about one phenomenon. Therefore, in order not to feel cognitive dissonance painfully, you should simply accept as a fact that such a phenomenon simply takes place. It is necessary to understand that contradictions between some elements of a person’s belief system and the real state of affairs will invariably be reflected in existence. And accepting and realizing that absolutely everything can be completely different from your own thoughts, positions, ideas and beliefs allows you to avoid dissonance.
Speaker of the Medical and Psychological Center "PsychoMed"
