GROUP 1
THE NEED TO JUSTIFY
OUR ACTIONS:
THE COSTS & BENEFITS OF
DISSONANCE REDUCTION
CHAPTER 6
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GROUP 1
THE NEED TO JUSTIFY
OUR ACTIONS:
THE COSTS & BENEFITS OF
DISSONANCE REDUCTION
CHAPTER 6
the theory of cognitive
dissonance
Leon Festinger
1957 “Theory of Cognitive Dissonance”
Cognitive dissonance: the discomfort
(dissonance) that people feel when two
cognitions (beliefs, attitudes) conflict, or
when they behave in ways that are
inconsistent with their conception of
themselves (self-concept).
We are driven to eliminate cognitive
dissonance
The way we do that can be transformative
or destructive
photos from bloomerg via getty image and looking for alaska series
how can we reduce
dissonance?
By attempting
By changing our
to justify our By attempting
behavior to
behavior to justify our
bring it in line
through behavior by
with the
changing one of adding new
dissonant
the dissonant cognitions.
cognition.
cognitions.
Figure 6.1 How We Reduce Cognitive Dissonance
SELF AFFIRMATION
popular way of reducing dissonance
through adding a new cognition is
self-affirmation
a person focuses on one or more of his
or her good qualities to lessen the
dissonant sting caused by doing
something foolish
Dissonance and Self- Concept
Elliot Aronson showed that
dissonance is most painful,
and we are most motivated to
reduce it, when one of those
cognitions is about the self:
when our self-concept or self-
Leon Festinger’s original esteem is threatened by the
formulation "any two cognitions cognition that we have done
could be dissonant". something that violates our
view of ourselves (Aronson,
1969).
Who do you think feels the
greatest dissonance after doing
something cruel, foolish, or
incompetent: a person with high
self-esteem or low self-esteem?
In a classic experiment, Aronson and
David Mettee (1968)
In this experiment, the self-esteem of college students
was temporarily modified by giving the subjects false People with high self-esteem are more
information about their personalities. After taking a motivated to reduce dissonance caused
personality test, one-third of the students were given
by a blow to their self-worth than
positive feedback; they were told that the test indicated that
they were mature, interesting, deep, and so forth. Another people who have low self-esteem.
third of the students were given negative feedback; they
were told that the test revealed that they were relatively When people’s self-esteem is
immature, uninteresting, shallow, and the like. The remaining
temporarily enhanced, or when their
one-third of the students were not given any information
about the results of the test. Immediately afterward, the
self-concept of being honest people is
students were scheduled to participate in an experiment invoked, they are less likely to cheat or
conducted by a different psychologist who had no apparent commit other unethical acts, and more
relation to the personality inventory. As part of this second likely to work hard to improve their
experiment, the participants played a game of cards against
grades, so as to keep their behavior
some of their fellow students. They were allowed to bet
money and keep whatever they won. In the course of the consonant with their self-concept.
game, they were given a few opportunities to cheat and
thereby win a sizable sum of cash.
Why We Overestimate the Pain
of Disappointment?
The process of reducing dissonance is largely
unconscious
It hums along below awareness, keeping our
attitudes in harmony without our thinking about it.
People often do not anticipate how successfully they
will reduce dissonance. When people think about
how they will react to future negative events, they
show an impact bias.
Impact Bias: whereby they overestimate the intensity
and duration of their negative emotional reactions.
DECISIONS, DECISIONS,
DECISIONS
Decisions arouse dissonance because they
require choosing one thing and not the other.
Post-decision Dissonance: it would threaten
our self-image as one who makes good
decisions.
After the choice is final, the mind diminishes
the discomfort through solidifying the case for
the item chosen or the course of action taken
Once an unethical act is committed, the
person experiencing dissonance justifies it,
thereby increasing the likelihood of
committing it again.
The Permanence of the
Decision
The more important the decision, the greater
the dissonance.
The more permanent and less revocable the
decision, the stronger is the need to reduce
dissonance (Bullens, van Harreveld, Förster, &
van der Pligt, 2013).
sELF-JUSTIFICATION IN
EVERYDAY LIFE
JUSTIFICATION OF EFFORT
the tendency for individuals to increase their liking
for something they have worked hard to attain.
alin kaya ipapasa
natin dito teh?
yung magandang gawa
ko teh! 24 hrs ko ginawa
yan e
ok te.
EXTERNAL JUSTIFICATION
A reason or an explanation for dissonant personal
behavior that resides outside the individual (e.g., to
receive a large reward or avoid a severe punishment)
te, diba sabi mo di ka
sasali sa org? bat
ngayon officer ka?
nakakapagod nga e pero
may incentives kasi!
okay maem.
INTERNAL JUSTIFICATION
The reduction of dissonance by changing
something about oneself (e.g., one’s attitude or
behavior)
te, ano pa b-day mo
sakin?
scrap book, te. hays im so
thoughtful!
OMG! kaya bff kita te.
pero yung 22o,
wala akong pera
pang-regalo
COUNTERATTITUDINAL
ADVOCACY
It occurs when we claim to have an opinion or
attitude that differs from our true beliefs
uy te, may quiz daw
bukas!
lah! magdadasal ako
mamayang gabi
te, Atheist ka talaga.
pero yung 22o,
nakakatamad
mag-aral
PUNISHMENT AND SELF-PERSUASION
Insufficient / Mild Punishment: The dissonance
aroused when individuals lack sufficient external
justification for having resisted a desired activity or
object, usually resulting in individuals devaluing the
forbidden activity or object
He knows that hitting his brother might feel good in the moment, which creates a conflict in his mind
(I want to hit him vs. I shouldn’t hit him because I’ll lose playtime but that punishment isn’t very bad either).
PUNISHMENT AND SELF-PERSUASION
Classic study in cognitive dissonance conducted by Self-Persuasion: A long-lasting
Elliot Aronson and J. Merrill Carlsmith in 1963, often
referred to as the "Forbidden Toy Experiment." form of attitude change that results
from attempts at self-justification
Participants: preschool-aged children.
Rating the Toys: Each child was asked to rate the The children who were tempted to play with the
attractiveness of various toys. which toys was a highly forbidden toy but resisted came to believe that
desirable one that the child found particularly the toy wasn’t so wonderful after all: they
appealing. persuaded themselves of this belief to justify the
fact that by obeying the adults, they had given
Forbidden Toy: the identified one toy that was rated up something they wanted.
as particularly attractive and informed the child that
they were not allowed to play with that specific toy.
PUNISHMENT CONDITION: mild and severe “Remember when you become a parent!
Parents who use punishment to encourage
RESULT: NONE OF THE CHILDREN PLAYED WITH their children to adopt desirable values should
THE FORBIDDEN TOY DURING THE EXPERIMENT. keep the punishment mild—barely enough to
Changing Attitudes: After the session, the children produce a change in behavior—and the values
were asked to rate the attractiveness of the toys again will follow”
Figure 6.5 External versus Internal Justification
As this graphic summarizes, insufficient punishment or reward leads to self-justification, which in turn
leads to self-persuasion and lasting change. Larger rewards or punishments may produce temporary
compliance, which rarely lasts.
Philip Zimbardo and colleagues in 1965 is a classic example of cognitive dissonance theory in action,
Participants: The study involved military reservists There were two groups based on the officer making the request
Stern Officer Group: increased their liking for grasshoppers significantly more than the other group.
Because the request came from an unfriendly person, they had little external justification for their behavior
and thus experienced cognitive dissonance about eating something they typically found unappealing.
Pleasant Officer Group: They likely felt that eating the grasshoppers was justified by the officer’s pleasant
demeanor, therefore experiencing minimal dissonance. Their external justification made it easier to maintain
their original negative attitudes toward grasshoppers.
Some Final Thoughts
on Dissonance:
Learning from Our
Mistakes
Dissonance reduction is counterproductive when
it solidifies negative values and behaviors, and
this applies to everyone from members of small
cults to national leaders. How could intelligent people
Knowing that humans are dissonance-reducing
animals can make us more aware of the process.
allow themselves to be led into
The next time we feel the discomfort of having the apparently senseless behavior
acted counter to our values, we can consciously of mass suicide?
pause the self-justification process to reflect on
our action.
Politics and Self-Justification
weapons of mass destruction (WMD) Saddam Hussein
George W. Bush Osama bin Laden
Iraq War 2003 9/11
Overcoming Dissonance
Imagine that you are a
prosecutor who has worked
hard for many years to put By recognizing when
“bad guys” in prison. You’re dissonance occurs, seeking
the good guy. How will you information, modifying
respond to the dissonant beliefs, finding consistency,
information that DNA practicing self-reflection, and
testing suggests that a few seeking support, you can
of those bad guys you put effectively manage and
away might be innocent? reduce cognitive dissonance
in your life.
GROUP 1
THANK YOU!
CHAPTER 6
