Comparing Cognitive Dissonance Theory – The Classic Version
vs. A New Look.
Student made: LAI HA THUY LINH (ID: 20222307)
Professor in charge: Elena
Course: Understanding Psychology
Foreword:
Cognitive Dissonance - a term used to describe the mental discomfort that results from holding two
contradictory beliefs or attitudes. Humans tend to seek consistency in their attitudes and perceptions, so this conflict
can cause a feeling of discomfort. This essay will compare the classic and the new version of this theory, focusing on
"Persuasion by our own actions".
1, Classic version of Cognitive Dissonance:
Orgin: Leon Festinger (1957)
For example: You waited in line for hours to get into a concert and then the band showed displeasure =>
This shows that you committed yourself to an action, but you realized that the action was inconsistent
with your attitude.
Focus: Internal inconsistencies, arises from the discrepancy between an individual's beliefs, attitudes, and
behaviors.
Scope: Narrower.
Mechanism of change:
Belief change: Changing a person's beliefs to match their behavior.
Behavior change: Changing a person's behavior to match their beliefs.
Adding consonant cognitions: Justifying difficult decisions, efforts with new beliefs or reasons.
2, A New Look of Cognitive Dissonance:
Origin: Joel Cooper and Russell Fazio ( 1984)
For example: A person who strongly believes in environmental conservation is faced with the decision to
purchase a car that has a poor fuel efficiency rating but they justify buying a car by arguing that the car is
necessary for their lifestyle or that they will offset their carbon footprint.
Focus: Internal and external factors, such as threats to self-esteem or social relationships.
Scope: Broader.
From the research: there are four steps necessary for attitude change to result from the production and reduction of
dissonance:
Unwanted negative consequence: The behavior must cause undesirable consequences:
Personal responsibility: The individual must feel responsible for those consequences.
Physiological arousal: The individual must feel unpleasant
Attribution of arousel to behavior: The individual must feel unpleasant about his or her behavior.
