COGNITIVE DISSONANCE definition

«Florence’s results and our ongoing studies indicate that it is now possible to identify the alterations that can lead to sub-optimal trajectories,» Lippé said. «This will enable us to carry out more precise interventions with at-risk children and intervene earlier in their lives.» Add cognitive dissonance to one of your lists below, or create a new one. If you find yourself baffled or confused, don’t try to justify your current belief; fine tune it with creative and critical thinking.

Cognitive dissonance is a little different than its evil twin, hypocrisy. But because we want the benefits of presenting ourselves a https://ecosoberhouse.com/ certain way, we don’t mind the inconsistency in our behavior. This book includes examples of cognitive dissonance in today’s world.

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Cognitive dissonance can feel a lot like anxiety and stress — and they often come paired together. When you’re stressed or anxious, you could affect your overall mental, emotional and physical health. Cognitive dissonance is a well-researched psychological phenomenon. It occurs in all of us frequently, not just when planning to diet and justifying a doughnut with a delayed diet start.

In other words, cognitive dissonance works in tandem with addiction. It completely changes a person’s moral compass, which is why the choice they make to engage in these addictive behaviors is stronger than just willpower. When a person always has a rational explanation for their irrational behavior, this is known in psychology as the cognitive dissonance theory. You’re justifying your choice to reduce the dissonance and to make you feel like you made the right decision, Leno says. Festinger’s (1957) cognitive dissonance theory suggests that we have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and behavior in harmony and avoid disharmony (or dissonance).

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Talking to a coach can help you develop self-awareness and understand the source of your cognitive dissonance. Coaches are skilled at helping people navigate the stages of behavior change and resolve internal discomfort. Psychologist Kia-Rai Prewitt, PhD, explains how to manage this feeling of discomfort, what’s known as cognitive dissonance, and how it can affect your mental health and other relationships when left unchecked. But you can feel caught off guard when those values and beliefs are shaken by social pressures, the presence of new information or having to make a rushed last-minute decision. Sometimes, we can even get caught up in behaving or reacting a certain way that doesn’t necessarily align with how we really feel — and then we end up feeling lost. Negative consequences of cognitive dissonance reduction include procrastination or acting seemingly contrary to our values and beliefs.

• According to Festinger, there are a few ways that a person might resolve this dissonance.
• Therapy can help patients by reflecting on and taking control of their thoughts.
• Cognitive dissonance occurs frequently and to all of us (Harmon-Jones, 2019).

Co-occurring disorders (addiction and substance disorder coinciding) can be managed with dual diagnosis treatment. The discomfort you experience with the conflicting cognitions creates a motivational drive to somehow reduce the dissonance. Finally, many of the studies supporting the theory of cognitive dissonance have low ecological validity. For example, turning pegs (as in Festinger’s experiment) is an artificial task that doesn’t happen in everyday life. What is the neural explanation for this common type of psychological stress? Thanks to advances in imaging methods, especially functional MRI, researchers have recently identified key brain regions linked to cognitive dissonance.

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By Kendra Cherry, MSEd

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the «Everything Psychology Book.» According to Festinger, there are a few ways that a person might resolve cognitive dissonance and addiction this dissonance. Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the «Everything Psychology Book.» People cannot always behave in a way that matches their beliefs.

• Sometimes, resolving cognitive dissonance is just a matter of changing your perspective on something or developing new patterns of thinking to help you live according to what’s most important to you.
• It’s hard at first, but instead of feeling guilty when you see the gym keychain, you feel proud of yourself.
• It causes a feeling of discomfort that can motivate people to try to feel better.
• Sometimes when patients engage in a new, more constructive behavior, they can perceive dissonance simply because it is contrary to the way they used to act.
• This article provides some examples of cognitive dissonance, discusses the signs, and offers some suggestions on how to cope with it.