Balance Factory

Changing the conflicting cognition is one of the most effective ways of dealing with dissonance but it is also one of the most difficult—particularly in the case of deeply held values and beliefs, such as religious or political leanings. When faced with two similar choices, we are often left with feelings of dissonance because both options are equally appealing. There are a number of different situations that can create conflicts that lead to cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance in a  way is mental illness within itself, and without treatment, the chances of relapse are high, and most importantly, it exacerbates an individual’s condition and hinders their chances of a successful recovery.

Decisions

People experience cognitive dissonance for many reasons, but a common trigger is work. “Maybe you’re at a company with a work culture or attitudes that are in opposition or conflict to what you believe,” according to Dr. Scott. School is another catalyst for tension as people are acclimating to a new environment, meeting others and learning new information.

How to Reduce Cognitive Dissonance

Although, when something they once believed turns cognitive dissonance and addiction out too good to be true, it conflicts with their pre-existing beliefs about their decision-making abilities. In today’s world, people do things or have beliefs and opinions that sometimes leave us questioning humanity. Maybe they do not make much sense to you or other people, but everyone is different.

THE PRESENT AND FUTURE OF COGNITIVE DISSONANCE: From theory to application and back

• Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort we feel when we hold two related but conflicting thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes.
• In one experiment, we artificially decreased participants’ arousal level by administering a mild sedative.
• Lewin was a proponent of field theory as the lens through which to view human behavior (Lewin, 1951).
• Cognitive means thinking, and dissonance means a lack of harmony between two things.
• Most of us have probably experienced cognitive dissonance at some point — it’s really just part of being human.
• Jesse Quaid is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor- Certified Addiction Specialist (CADC-CAS) who works in the Intake, Insurance and Clinical Records departments at Elevate Addiction Services.

Social psychological theories of attitudes and attitude change generally involved people comparing their own attitudes to the attitudes of others, or comparing the basis for certain attitudes with information that a communicator might offer. With Festinger’s use of the concept of cognitive representations, attitudes, behaviors, social mores, communications – that is, virtually any phenomenon that people can perceive – all are grist for the mill of cognitive dissonance. When life presents you with a compromising situation that goes against your core beliefs or values it can be stressful. This situation is defined as cognitive dissonance and may present itself as part of your struggle as you work through the process of recovery from drug or alcohol addiction. At Casa Nuevo Vida we know how important it is to strengthen your mental health.

• We accomplish this by justifying why our choice was the best option so we can believe that we made the right decision.
• Changing the conflicting cognition is one of the most effective ways of dealing with dissonance but it is also one of the most difficult—particularly in the case of deeply held values and beliefs, such as religious or political leanings.
• Dr. Noulas says that successes in women’s rights, environmental rights, and gay rights are examples of positive change that have resulted from cognitive dissonance.
• She is also the the Co-Host of the popular Elevate Experience Podcast, a no-holds-barred look at addiction and the power of effective treatment.

Rosenberg (1965) asked participants to write essays taking a very unpopular position at The Ohio State University. He found that students who wrote the essays in return for a large incentive changed their attitudes more than those who wrote in return for a small incentive. One answer to that question is provided by the Action-Orientation Model (Harmon-Jones, 1999). Harmon-Jones suggests that people’s stance toward events in the world is adaptively better without ambivalence and conflict. Inconsistent cognitions interfere with our action tendencies and create a negative emotion, motivating us to rid ourselves of the inconsistency. We are not driven to reduce inconsistency per se, but rather driven to have an unambivalent stance toward the world to prepare us for effective action.

ACTIONS

If we are forced to behave in a particular manner, then we can and do absolve ourselves of responsibility. If a person with legitimate authority tells me to advocate in favor of a position with which I disagree, I will conclude that it is not my fault that I did it. In the New Look view, the road to dissonance begins with the perception that we have brought about a consequence that is aversive. When the cataclysm did not occur, we can imagine that the Seekers realized that having lost so many relationships and possessions were unwanted consequences of their errant prophecy. In general, if our behavior leads to a consequence that we would rather not have brought about, it is considered aversive and leads to the possibility of dissonance arousal.

• All of these situations bring on mental stress as you fight within your own head as to the reasons for your decisions.
• This happens in the real world and, with proper stagecraft, can be made to happen in the research laboratory.
• This could include changes in behavior or attempts to ignore information that contradicts a goal or desire.