Inconsistencies:

Can we live with them?

by Group 6
Cognitive Dissonance
March 24, 2016

Despite studies proving that smoking causes cancer, many smokers still deny the correlation
between the two. Though such levels of denial seem almost unfathomable, the key to
unlocking this perplexing mystery may lie within the human psyche.
Cognitive dissonance refers to the psychological discomfort that occurs when an
individual holds two conflicting thoughts in consideration at the same time. The term was
coined in 1957 by esteemed psychologist Leon Festinger, who proposed that humans sought
to attain internal consistency. This would later go on to be the hypothesis from which he
formulated his theory of cognitive dissonance. He believed that people had an innate desire to
make sure that their beliefs and behaviour aligned with each other.
The level of dissonance experienced varies across individuals and hinges on
circumstantial factors. For instance, cognitions which are more personal to an individual,
such as those regarding self-perception, are more likely to cause greater amounts of
dissonance. The greater the dissonance, the greater the pressure to reduce such feelings of
discomfort.
Under dissonance theory, people are motivated to reduce the dissonance they feel
whenever their actions contradict their beliefs or vice versa. Festinger proposed three
methods of doing so. Firstly, people will direct their focus to reassuring beliefs in order to

overcome dissonant belief or behavior. Second, they will decrease the significance of the
contradicting belief. Lastly, they alter the conflicting belief, to make it consistent with others.
A study done by Jack Brehm explores the theory of cognitive dissonance under a decisionmaking paradigm. He hypothesized that when an individual is forced to make a choice
between two equally desirable products, dissonance arises. He predicted that subjects would
reduce dissonance by giving the chosen object a higher rating, and rating the alternative
lower. The subjects consisted of 225 female students.
Subjects were told to rate 8 household appliances. They were then told to choose from
two objects which were selected at random as payment. In actuality, the appliances chosen
were determined by the degree of dissonance to be created. The experimenter split the
subjects into four groups. A control group whereby the appliance is decided at random for the
subject. A high dissonance group where one of the two objects presented is rated at one scale
lower. Similarly, for medium dissonance, it is two scales lower, and for low dissonance three
scales lower. After choosing the appliance, the subjects re-rated the desirability of the 8
objects again.
After comparing the new ratings to the original, subjects did give the chosen
alternative a higher rating and the un-chosen one a lower rating. The overall change in rating
was most prominent in the high dissonance group. Thus, it supports his hypothesis that being
forced to choose between two alternatives results in dissonance. Subjects had the underlying
need to convince themselves of having made the right decision, resulting in them playing up
the advantages of their chosen alternative while downplaying the advantages of the un-chosen
alternative.
Understanding the theory of cognitive dissonance is useful not only for the individual
but also useful in the field of psychology itself as cognitive dissonance has been used as a

psychotherapy technique. It is specifically utilized to change the unhealthy attitudes and

behaviors that people have. The use of cognitive dissonance as a tool to treat psychological
disorders is called dissonance-based intervention. The effectiveness of this technique was
tested in a study on the prevention of peer-led eating disorders among college-going women.
The participants, who were members of a sorority, were engaged in a variety of activities
where they spoke actively against the thin-ideal of feminine beauty. For example, they
completed role plays in which they act as friends persuading others against the pursuit of the
ideal, listed down the costs of pursuing the thin-ideal and did exercises and homework that
constantly challenge the thin-ideal. The basis of the therapy is that as the participants learn
and vocalize the beliefs that challenge the thin-ideal, they would then attempt to reduce the
dissonance by changing their unhealthy behaviors to align with the beliefs they internalize
during therapy. Cognitive dissonance has also been employed in changing other negative
behaviors such as online gaming addictions.
For the individual, understanding cognitive dissonance would allow us to recognize
that sometimes the justifications we give ourselves is just a tool to make ourselves feel better
for the wrong decisions we have made. As such, should we want to make better decisions in
the future, is it not necessary to prevent ourselves from justifying our mistakes all the time?
This is where the concept of self-awareness plays an importance. Self-awareness prevents us
from perpetuating our mistakes as it forces us to look carefully at the justifications we give
ourselves and to consider whether they are just a tool to be used to make ourselves feel better
or whether they are really justified. All in all, it is imperative for us to know that facing
inconsistency in life is inevitable and it is natural for us to attempt to reduce it.

REFERENCES
Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., & Akert, R. M. (2005). Social psychology.
Brehm, J. W. (1956). Postdecision changes in the desirability of alternatives. The
Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 52(3), 384-389.