Cognitive dissonance determines the state of the individual, characterized by inconsistency and contradictory views, beliefs, attitudes and external conditions. The author of the theory and the very concept of cognitive dissonance is L. Festinger. This teaching is based on the person's desire for a state of mental comfort. Only by following the path of achieving the goals and successes, one gets satisfaction from life. Dissonance is a state of internal discomfort, caused by contradictions between the persistent ideas of the individual and new facts or conditions. This sensation causes the desire to stimulate the process of knowledge in order to make sure the truth of the new information. The theory of cognitive dissonance Festingera explains the conflict situations that arose in the cognitive system of a single person. The main conflicting views in the mind of a person are religious, ideological, value, emotional and other discrepancies.
Causes of dissonance
This condition may occur due to the following reasons:
- in case of a logical inconsistency;
- when the individual's opinion is included in the group opinion;
- due to established traditions and customs;
- In case of a discrepancy between past experience and a new situation.
Modern psychology studies the state of cognitive dissonance in order to explain and study the state of internal inconsistency that arises in an individual or a group of people. The individual, having accumulated a certain life experience, must act against it, according to
An example of cognitive dissonance can be any situation that has changed a person's plans. For example: a person decided to go out of town for a picnic. Before going out he saw that it was raining. The man did not expect rainfall, the conditions of his trip have changed. Thus, rain has become a source of cognitive dissonance.
It is understandable that each person would like to reduce dissonance, and, if possible, eliminate it altogether. This can be achieved in three ways: by changing your behavioral element, by changing the cognitive elements of external factors, or by introducing new cognitive elements into your life experience.