This article on cognitive dissonance delves into the foundational principles, behavioral implications, and applications of this pivotal concept in the field of psychology. It begins by explicating Leon Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance, elucidating the discomfort arising from cognitive inconsistencies and the process of tension reduction. Subsequently, the article elucidates the profound influence of cognitive
Cognitive dissonance refers to the psychological discomfort that people experience when there is inconsistency between their knowledge or beliefs and their behavior. Dissonance is distressing because humans strive to be consistent within themselves. A major category of cognitive dissonance is known as postdecision dissonance. This refers to the distress that occurs after one makes a
The theory of cognitive dissonance, invented by Leon Festinger in 1957, is generally considered to be social psychology’s most important and most provocative theory. Simply stated, cognitive dissonance is a state of tension that occurs whenever an individual simultaneously holds two cognitions (ideas, attitudes, beliefs, opinions) that are psychologically inconsistent with each other. Two cognitions
Cognitive Dissonance Theory Definition Introduced by Leon Festinger in 1957—and since that time debated, refined, and debated again by psychologists—cognitive dissonance is defined as the aversive state of arousal that occurs when a person holds two or more cognitions that are inconsistent with each other. The concept of dissonance was once enormously controversial, but its