Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Tsabbita Asmanadia
21110250789@lspr.edu
1. Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Cognitive dissonance theory is a state of a person in which the person is
uncomfortable when faced with different ideas, beliefs and opinions. Also it
will triggers a mental conflict.
1.1. The Example of Cognitive Dissonance.
a. According to Leon Festingers, there is smoker who
knows that smoking causes a cancer,he knows but he still do
smoking. That’s moment is called a dissonance. He assumed that
would rather not to have cancer, but his cognition said that he is a
smoker. Psychologically his assumption doesn’t match with his
cognition because smoking causes a cancer. And to reduce that
dissoncance in that situation is stop somking even isn’t easy for
him. In other hand, ther eis a person who will work on other
cognition.
There will be circumstances when the smoker assumed
that it makes no sense that smoking causes a cancer and he will
underestimate the evidence that smoking causes a cancer. or the
other situation is when he hangs out with other smokers (which is
his friends too) and he thinks that it is not dangerous. Or maybe
he can convince himself that smoking is the most important thing
in his life, so he'd rather have a short life but pleasant life than a
long life but there’s nothing special in his life.
b. According to Dalton and Watternbeg (1993), claimed that
election time influencing to citizen’s behavior. Election moment
is the most awaited moment by all of people. because this is a
moment of democracy that involves people's voices and
emotions when they have a different choice. As for the
research conducted after the election, the situation showed
that there was a very large increase in support and satisfaction
among voters, especially voters who were among the winners.
(Anderson & Guillory, 1997; Ginsberg, 1982; Nadeau & Blais,
1993). apart from this research, democratic decisions do rely
heavily on the acceptance of citizens themselves. In the
context of election, voting by citizens is a decision-making
which is an action or behavior to support one of the
candidates. After voting occurs, that's where the cognitive
process begins to operate to reduce dissonance. According to
Frenkel and Doob (1976) claimed that interviewing the
citizens who voted for the candidates is much better done after
they vote their candidate than before the election because
after the vote their enthusiasm is higher and they are also
optimistic that their candidate will win the election.
2. Dissonance or Conflict
There is several differences about dissonances and conflict, conflict come
before the desicions are made, and dissonances come after that. Suring
the conflict all of inviduals boost their energies to evaluate and to the
sensible evaluationa and didn’t do the judgement. All of them will gather
the information, pro and con, also all of the alternative to make a
reaasonable decision.
3. Dissonance Resulting from Effort
According to Aronson and Mills ( 1959) if there is someone who wants to
join a gang or group and it turns out to be boring and uninteresting when
they are there. There is dissonance. the cognition of those who work hard
to become a member of the group does not match the cognition of those
who say the group is uncomfortable. in another study of Aronson and mills
(1959), there were a students who became a group discussion and
discuss about sex education. for some girls when they’re saying about
some words that may be embarrassing for them because it is said in front
of men. for others maybe it's a normal thing to say or some don't even
think about it at all.
4. Dissonance Following A Decision
According to Brehm (1956) brehm provides individuals with a choice of
items that they have previously studied. after that they re-learn the items to
improve which tool they like before they make a decision and they also
make an assessment of the items they don't choose.the derivation from
this case is clear, they followed a diffcult choice they will do a dissonance.
The negative cognition is they’re preffered items are dissonants wit having
choosen it and the positive cognition the items that they aren’t choosen
are dissonant ith having choosen it.
