Cognitive dissonance theory an overview sciencedirect topics. Cognitive dissonance has been an important and influential theory since leon festinger published his classic work in 1957. Cognitive dissonance can be seen as an antecedent condition which leads to activity oriented toward dissonance reduction just as hunger leads to activity oriented toward hunger reduction. It is also a prime example of how creative thinking and problem solving skills can come together to produce work that changes the way people look at questions for good.
Almost half a century ago social psychologist leon festinger developed the cognitive dissonance theory festinger, 1957. One key aspect of cognitive dissonance theory is that individuals experience a mental discomfort after taking actions that appear to be in con. Cognitive dissonance theory leon festinger 1957 pdf. Cognitive dissonance challenges a possibility of human evolutioncognitive dissonance cd is a discomfort caused by holding conflicting elements of knowledge. It is also a prime example of how creative thinking and problem solving skills can come together to produce w. Leon festinger formulated the original theory of cognitive dissonance in the mid1950s, and the first formal and complete presentation of the theory appeared in 1957. Downloaded from the university of groningenumcg research database pure. This article was originally published in the encyclopedia of. Show why other ways to reduce dissonance like avoidance will not work 7.
All books are in clear copy here, and all files are secure so dont worry about it. Festingers 1957 cognitive dissonance theory suggests that we have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and beliefs in harmony and avoid disharmony dissonance. Festingers theory of cognitive dissonance has been one of the most influential theories in social psychology jones, 1985. In this chapter, the main results of a structuralist analysis of festingers theory of cognitive dissonance and of a typical dissonance experiment are presented and. Cognitive dissonance as defined by the book, the distressing mental state caused by inconsistency between a persons two beliefs or a belief and an action, 200. The theory described in that volume provided the impetus for hundreds of experiments, and ultimately came to dominate the literature of attitude change during the later 1950s and 1960s. The cognitive dissonance experiment is based on the theory of cognitive dissonance proposed by leon festinger in the year 1957. People hold many different cognitions about their world, e. When there is an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors dissonance, something must change to eliminate the.
Cognitive dissonance an overview sciencedirect topics. Indeed, the concept of cognitive dissonance has entered popular speech, even political campaigns. Here, joel cooper presents a comprehensive analysis of the state of dissonance theory, charting the progress of the theory and assessing its impact. A social and psychological study of a modern group that predicted the end of the world university of minnesota press. The theory of dissonance is here applied to the problem of why partial reward, delay of reward, and effort expenditure during training result in increased resistance to extinction. The core ideas of dissonance theory are not particularly complicated. His theories and research are credited with renouncing the previously dominant behaviorist view of social psychology by demonstrating the inadequacy of stimulusresponse conditioning accounts of human behavior.
The psychological fields generated the concept and theory of cognitive dissonance e. A theory of cognitive dissonance stanford university press. According to festinger, we hold many cognitions about the world and ourselves. Cognitive dissonance is the negative feeling that results from conflicting beliefs and behaviors. Pdf cognitive dissonance theory festinger researchgate. This article was originally published in the encyclopedia. Festingers 1957 original theory of cognitive dissonance concerned situations in which individuals have two cog nitions that are relevant to each other but. Cognitive dissonance theory by festinger communicative.
An alternative conceptualization was proposed by festinger s theory of cognitive dissonance festinger, 1957, which asserted that organisms are motivated to reduce dissonance, defined as an incompatibility between internal cognitive structures and the situations currently perceived. According to dissonance theory, selfesteem is threatened by inconsistency. But even before festinger was the greek fabulist aesop. A theory of cognitive dissonance download ebook pdf. An alternative conceptualization was proposed by festingers theory of cognitive dissonance festinger, 1957, which asserted that organisms are motivated to reduce dissonance, defined as an incompatibility between internal cognitive structures and the situations currently perceived. It is also a prime example of how creative thinking and problem solving skills can come together to produce work that changes the way people look at. Festinger theorized that, when an individual holds two or more elements of knowledge that are relevant to each other but inconsistent with one another,astate of. Cognitivedissonancetheory after50yearsofdevelopment. The study cognitive dissonance is a phenomenon studied by leon festinger most famously in his 1954 study involving 71 male students from stanford university. In general, social psychologists, always looking for the next great theory, seemed to have shelved this book and its concepts within a couple of decades after it came out in 1957 see leon festingers comments 30 years later in appendix b of cognitive dissonance progress on a pivotal theory in social. Inasmuch as festinger s theory is concerned with attitude change and attempts to discern how persuasive messages are processed in the minds of listeners, there is no doubt that it may be regarded as a communication theory. Festinger 1957 cited under core books considered three ways to cope with cognitive dissonance. It is known by every social psychologist, most psychologists of any stripe, and the lay public, making its way into such mainstream publications as the new york times with increasing frequency and accuracy.
Cd is among the most influential and extensively studied theories in social psychology e. Attitudes may change because of factors within the person. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. An important factor here is the principle of cognitive consistency, the focus of festingers 1957 theory of. Leon festingers theory of cognitive dissonance networked. The number of variations within this approach to selfevaluation regulation is also substantial. Inconsistency among beliefs or behaviors will cause an uncomfortable psychological tension. Introduced by leon festinger in 1957and since that time debated, refined, and debated again by psychologistscognitive dissonance is defined as the aversive state of arousal that occurs when a person holds two or. Smoking o it is dangerous for my health o i smoke cigarettes. An example of this approach is cognitive dissonance theory festinger 1957. A theory of cognitive dissonance 1957 pdf cooper cognitive dissonance. Leon festinger 8 may 1919 11 february 1989 was an american social psychologist, perhaps best known for cognitive dissonance and social comparison theory. The theory of cognitive dissonance was molded by leon festinger at the beginning of the 1950s. Cognitive dissonance theory in social psychology iresearchnet.
The theory of cognitive dissonance festinger, 1957. Festingers theory of cognitive dissonance springerlink. Show that dissonance can hurt selfesteem or increases guilt 5. When there is an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors dissonance, something must change to eliminate the dissonance. Festingers theory of cognitive dissonance 1 festingers theory of cognitive dissonance 2 wilson russell experiment see if you can guess the results 1. It is well known that this discomfort is usually resolved by devaluing and discarding a conflicting piece of. Leon festinger developed the cognitive dissonance theory festinger, 1957 dissonance occurs when a person perceives a logical inconsistency in their beliefs, when one idea implies the opposite of another. A person who experiences internal inconsistency tends to become psychologically uncomfortable and is motivated to reduce the cognitive dissonance.
Psychologist leon festinger first described the theory of cognitive dissonance in 1957. A theory of cognitive dissonance by festinger, leon, 19191989. Cognitive dissonance theory an overview sciencedirect. Jan 09, 2017 cognitive dissonance theory festingers 1957 cognitive dissonance theory suggests that we have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and beliefs in harmony and avoid disharmony or dissonance. Cognitive dissonance theory has been known to play out in several ways. Leon festingers 1957 a theory of cognitive dissonance is a key text in the history of psychology one that made its author one of the most influential social psychologists of his time. This work is a clearly stated theory on how humans think, decide, and defend their decisions. A theory of cognitive dissonance download pdfepub ebook. University of groningen patterns of cognitive dissonance in. A theory of cognitive dissonance by leon festinger 30jun. Cognitive dissonance 1 theory paper cognitive dissonance. That brings us to the next point, namely the categorization of cognitive dissonance theory.
Cognitive dissonance theory has had a more illustrious career than its politicalscience and sociological equivalents. In this sense, festingers theory of cognitive dissonance and its in. According to cognitive dissonance theory, there is a tendency for individuals to seek consistency among their cognitions i. Since the 1950s, dissonance theory has generated hundreds of experiments, many of them among the most clever and entertaining in psychology. Miller and others published cognitive dissonance theory. Publication date 1962 topics adaptability psychology, dissonance cognitive, cognitieve dissonantie. Leon festinger s theory of cognitive dissonance has been widely recognized for its important and influential concepts in areas of motivation and social psychology. 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. In an event wherein some of these cognitions clash, an unsettled state of tension occurs and this is called. Leon festingers theory of cognitive dissonance has been widely recognized for its important and influential concepts in areas of motivation and social psychology. Festingers 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. It is also a prime example of how creative thinking and problem solving skills can come together to produce work that changes the way people look at questions. Cognitive dissonance theory, developed by leon festinger 1957, is concerned with the relationships among cognitions. Another argument that may support the use of the environmental frame for animal advocacy is related with behavioral and attitudinal change.
This is known as the principle of cognitive consistency. Cognitive dissonance leon festinger according to cognitive dissonance theory, there is a tendency for individuals to seek consistency among their cognitions i. In a theory of cognitive dissonance 1957, leon festinger proposed that human beings strive for internal psychological consistency to function mentally in the real world. In 1957, leon festinger published a book entitled a theory of cognitive dissonance. Chapter 2 cognitive dissonance 23 cognitive dissonance soon after the first studies of selective perception, leon festinger 1957 proposed the theory of cognitive dissonance. An actionbased model of cognitive dissonance processes.
A cognitive dissonance approach harvard university. A theory of cognitive dissonance download ebook pdf, epub. Festingers 1957 cognitive dissonance theory suggests that we have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and beliefs in harmony and avoid disharmony or dissonance. Download cognitive dissonance theory leon festinger 1957 book pdf free download link or read online here in pdf. The original version of the theory leon festinger formulated the original theory of cognitive dissonance in the mid1950s, and the first formal and complete presentation of the theory appeared in 1957. Wed like to understand how you use our websites in order to improve them. According to festinger, cognitive dissonance occurs when peoples thoughts and feelings are inconsistent with their behavior, which results in an uncomfortable, disharmonious feeling. Leon festingers account of cognitive dissonance, published in 1957, has become one of the. An analysis of leon festingers a theory of cognitive dissonance. Inasmuch as festingers theory is concerned with attitude change and attempts to discern how persuasive messages are processed in the minds of listeners, there is no doubt that it may be regarded as a communication theory. Cognitive dissonance introduction leon festinger published in 1957. Leon festingers 1957 a theory of cognitive dissonance is a key text in the history of psychology one that made its author one of the most influential social psychologists of his time it is also a prime example of. Nov 11, 2011 a theory of cognitive dissonance duration. Cognitive dissonance theory leon festinger 1957 pdf book.