PRESENTAION ON

COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
AND PERSONALITY TRAITS

 PRESENTED TO:  PRESENTED BY:

Prof. Soumen GROUP-4
Mukherjee (Roll No. BM-09278
to 09288)
 Cognitive Dissonance
 A state of internal tension that results from an
inconsistency between any knowledge , belief,
opinion, attitude or feeling about the
environment, oneself of one’s behavior. It is
psychologically uncomfortable.

 Cognitive- being reduced to factual knowledge;

act or process of knowing including both
awareness and judgment.

 Dissonance- lack of agreement, inconsistency

between one’s actions and one’s belief
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 Ways to Reduce
“Cognitive Dissonance”

Avoidance

Denial

Change

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 Example of the Process
 SFC Jones is unhappy that women are
now assigned to his unit because he
feels that females cannot handle
stressful emergency situations. Then
during a situation one female functions
well during an emergency.

 SFC Jones experiences cognitive

dissonance.
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 Example of the Process
 Avoidance- SFC Jones delegates
responsibilities so he doesn’t have to
come in contact with females, or asks
for a transfer.

 Denial- SFC Jones passes this off as an

exception to the rule

 Change- SFC Jones thought females

could not perform under stress, but he
was wrong. 5
 BETARI Box Model
MY ATTITUDE

AFFECTS AFFECTS

YOUR BEHAVIOR MY BEHAVIOR

AFFECTS AFFECTS

YOUR ATTITUDE

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COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
THEORY
Of Leon Festinger
 It is the distressing mental state that people feel when they “find
themselves doing things that don’t fit with what they know, or having
opinions that do not fit with other opinions they hold.”

 It is an aversive drive that goads us to be consistent.

 The tension of dissonance motivates us to change either our behavior

or our belief in an effort to avoid that distressing feeling.

 The more important the issue is to us and the greater the discrepancy
is between our behavior and our belief, the higher is the magnitude of
dissonance we will feel.

 The focus of Festinger’s theory is on the attitude change that occurs

after dissonance.
THREE HYPTHESES: WAYS TO REDUCE DISSONANCE
BETWEEN ATTITUDES AND ACTIONS

HYPOTHESIS 1: SELECTIVE EXPOSURE PREVENTS

DISSONANCE

 We usually choose to be with people who are like us.

 “ stick with our own kind”

 Like-minded people buffer us from ideas that could cause discomforts.

 the process of making friends is a way to guarantee that we’ll receive positive
feedback.

 Selective exposure works only when we anticipate hearing ideas that run counter to
our beliefs. Our mental guard is down when our purpose of being with others is
enjoyment or pleasure.
 HYPOTHESIS 2: POSTDECISION DISSONANCE CREATES
A NEED FOR REASSURANCE
 Three conditions:
1. the more important the issue
2. the longer an individual delays in choosing between two equally attractive
opinions
3. the greater the difficulty involved in reversing the decision once it’s been made.

 To the extent that these conditions are present, the more the person will agonize
over whether he or she made the right decision

 Second thoughts that plague us after a tough decision motivate us to seek reassuring
information and social support for our decision.
 HYPOTHESIS 3: MINIMAL JUSTIFICATION FOR ACTION
INDUCES A SHIFT IN ATTITUDE

 Behavior Attitude instead of Attitude Behavior

 Feeling of group accountability or pressure for conformity

 THREE STATE-OF-THE-ART REVISIONS: THE CAUSE AND
EFFECT OF DISSONANCE

1. SELF-CONSISTENCY : THE RATIONALIZING ANIMAL

 Elliot Aronson – social psychologist

 “ if dissonance exists, it is because the individual’s behavior is consistent with his

self-concept.”

 The higher their self-esteem, the more dissonance they would feel.

 The amount of dissonance a person can experience is directly proportional to the

effort he or she has invested in the behavior.

 Attitudes follow behavior when the investment of effort is high.

 2. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILTY FOR BAD OUTCOMES
 psychologist Joel Cooper

 It’s the knowledge that one’s actions have unnecessarily hurt another person that
generates dissonance.

 Dissonance is “a state of arousal caused by behaving in such a way as to feel

personally responsible for bringing about an aversive event.”

 Note that the acceptance of personal responsibility requires that the person know
ahead of time that his or her action will have negative consequences

 When dissonance is aroused, it can have a powerful effect

 2. SELF-AFFIRMATION TO DISSIPATE DISSONANCE

 Psychologist Claude Steele

 Steele doesn’t assume that dissonance always drives people to justify their
actions by changing their attitudes.

 High self esteem is a resource for dissonance reduction

 PERSUASION THROUGH DISSONANCE

 A massive reward-punishment strategy may gain behavioral compliance,

but the hard sell seldom wins the heart or mind of the person who is bribed
or pressured.

 To be an effective agent of change, you should offer just enough

encouragement (minimal justification)
The Fox and The Grapes by AESOP


The fox decides that
the grapes he is unable
to reach are probably not
ripe enough to eat
anyway—illustrates an
example of cognitive
dissonance.

Desiring something,
then criticizing it
because it proves
unattainable, results into
cognitive dissonance.
PERSONALITY TRAITS

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 MEANING OF PERSONALITY

Personality Traits:
 Personality can be defined as:
 The sum total of ways in which an individual
interacts with people and reacts to situations.
 The traits exhibited by a person during these
interactions.

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 Five important traits:
1. Extraversion

 This refers to the extent to which a person is

comfortable with other people.
 People who have a high degree of extraversion are
sociable, talkative and friendly.

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 2. Agreeableness

 This refers to the extent to which a person

subjugates his interests for the sake of the group.
 People who are very agreeable give importance to
maintaining harmony and do not insist that others
agree with what they say or follow their
suggestions.

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3. Conscientiousness

 This trait refers to the extent to which a person is

responsible and achievement oriented.
 They are responsible, dependable, persistent and
highly achievement-oriented.

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4. Emotional stability

 This trait determines an individual’s ability to

withstand stress.
 Individuals who have “positive” emotional stability
feel emotionally secure and tend to be calm.
 People who have “negative” stability are emotionally
insecure and experience feelings of anxiety,
nervousness and depression.

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 5. Openness to experience

 This personality traits refers to an individuals’ range

of interests and indicates how innovative or how rigid
he is in his beliefs.
 An individual with a high level of openness tends to
be creative and has a wide range of interests.
 Individuals who have a low level of openness, in
contrast, have a narrow range of interests, rigid
mindsets and tend to be less curious and less willing
to accept new ideas.

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