Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance is the internal conflict occurring when one's actions contradict previously held beliefs. It is one of the most studied topics in social psychology and was first analyzed by Leon Festinger in 1957.

The theory of cognitive dissonance developed by Leon Festinger is a very interesting topic of social psychology. The theory fascinates me because it tells us a great deal about how the human mind works, and it's an important route towards total understanding of the human mind from the psychological perspective. The theory explains why people try to contemplate over their ideology in order to bolster their belief when they are met with an idea running against the belief. In addition, the theory of cognitive dissonance explains why people taking part in counter - attitudinal actions end up with an attitude which opposes their previously held beliefs or end up even more confidence.

Essentially, the theory states that when a person conducts a hypocritical action, mental resistance brings them emotional discomfort, and the person is psychologically compelled to reduce or end the discomfort. This paper attempts to explain the following question from the psychological perspective: “What are the effects of cognitive dissonance on the behaviors and attitudes of a person?“ Cognitive dissonance causes mental discrepancy in an individual; thus, leading the individual to reduce it by either changing his action, attitude toward consistency, by avoiding or downgrading dissonant information, or by adhering to the individual’s group.