Recently, festinger 1957 proposed a theory con duced is for the person to change. This work is a clearly stated theory on how humans think, decide, and defend their decisions. Cognitive dissonance 1 theory paper cognitive dissonance. 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. Cognitive dissonance theory links actions and attitudes. 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. Introduced by leon festinger in 1957 in his book, a theory of cognitive dissonance, the cognitive dissonance theory focuses on how we as human beings. Pdf increasing cognitive dissonance by a fait accompli. Dissonance theory continues even 60 years after its original formulation by festinger 1957, in a theory of cognitive dissonance, to develop and inspire new research cooper, 2007. Since its introduction to the social psychology literature 60 years ago, festinger s cognitive dissonance theory cdt has been frequently applied to the management literature to explain and predic. Festinger s theory proposes that inconsistency among beliefs or behaviours causes an uncomfortable psychological tension i. A theory of cognitive dissonance leon festinger download.
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. Originally published in the journal of abnormal and social psychology in 1959, cognitive consequences of forced compliance by leon festinger and james carlsmith was the first of numerous studies to corroborate the theory of cognitive dissonance. The results showed that depressed individuals experienced a state of ambivalence, with negative cognitive, emotional. 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. But even before festinger was the greek fabulist aesop. A theory of cognitive dissonance download pdfepub ebook. An example of this approach is cognitive dissonance theory festinger 1957. Cognitive dissonance theory is a psychological theory that assesses the mental stress or discomfort that individuals face in life when they are faced with two contradicting beliefs, ideas or values on a specific model. 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. Cognitive dissonance brings about a need to justify actions that are contradictory to our belief system. That brings us to the next point, namely the categorization of cognitive dissonance theory. Leon festinger first published the theory in 1957 and it is still widely used in research cooper, 2007.
Cognitive dissonance theory festinger, 1957 continues to develop and inspire new research. Cognitive dissonance theory an overview sciencedirect. Cognitive dissonance theory social emotive neuroscience lab. Leon festingers theory of cognitive dissonance has been widely recognized for its important and influential concepts in areas of motivation and social psychology. According to dissonance theory, selfesteem is threatened by inconsistency. Oct 09, 2016 overview of cognitive dissonance theory. An introduction to cognitive dissonance theory and an. He tested the decisionmaking process in a cognitive dissonance experiment.
Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. A theory of cognitive dissonance by leon festinger 30jun 1957 paperback. The theory of cognitive dissonance festinger, 1957. Cd is among the most influential and extensively studied theories in social psychology e. The basic premise of festinger s 1957 theory of cognitive dissonance is that an individual strives to maintain consistency or consonance among his or her cognitions. Cognitive dissonance theory leon festinger 1957 cognitive dissonance. The cognitive dissonance experiment designed by leon festinger and his colleague merrill carlsmith in 1957 was conducted with students. Cognitive dissonance theory an overview sciencedirect topics. Leon festinger introduced cognitive dissonance theory in a 1957 book, a theory of cognitive dissonance. People hold many different cognitions about their world, e. Leon festinger introduced the concept of cognitive dissonance as psychological tension in 1957. The number of variations within this approach to selfevaluation regulation is also substantial. Cognitive dissonance has been one of the models used in assessing and giving insight on specific actions in the society thereby. Examples and practical applications of cognitive dissonance.
Our framework builds on an insight originating in social psychology with the work of festinger 1957 that suggests that actions could affect. Ty book ti a theory of cognitive dissonance au festinger, leon sp 291 cy stanford pb stanford university press py 1957 ur. A theory of cognitive dissonance by leon festinger 30jun 1957 paperback leon festinger on. The magnitude of dissonance is directly proportional to the number of discrepant cognitions and inversely proportional to the number of consonant cognitions that a person has. A theory of cognitive dissonance 9780804709118 by festinger, leon and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Because these theories rely on cognitions, which can be about anything, cdt and other cognitive theories of motivation are the most powerful and flexible theories out there. It suggests that inconsistencies among cognitions i. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. A person who experiences internal inconsistency tends to become psychologically uncomfortable and is motivated to reduce the cognitive dissonance, by making changes to. Cognitive dissonance theory, developed by leon festinger 1957, is concerned with the relationships among cognitions.
Cognitive dissonance theory festinger wiley online library. Leon festinger formulated the original theory of cognitive dis sonance in the mid1950s, and the first formal and complete presentation of the theory appeared in 1957. A major theory in social psychology is known as cognitive dissonance. This book puts forward a new theory that seems to reconcile these data and assumptions. 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. Pdf a theory of cognitive dissonance semantic scholar. 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. 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. The underlying theory was developed by l festinger in a theory of cognitive. In evaluating social interactions, i prefer a combination of dissonance theory by leon festinger and social identity theory as developed by henri tajfel and carried forward. Cognitive dissonance theory has had a more illustrious career than its politicalscience and sociological equivalents.
According to cognitive dissonance theory, there is a tendency for individuals to seek consistency among their cognitions i. From this grant, he was able to write his first document on the social comparison theory and published it in the journal of human relations in 1954. 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. Data were collected and analysed using a qualitative approach inspired by grounded theory. Cognitive dissonance leon festinger according to cognitive dissonance theory, there is a tendency for individuals to seek consistency among their cognitions i. Cognitive dissonance an overview sciencedirect topics. Leon festingers theory of cognitive dissonance networked. Apr 10, 20 cognitive dissonance challenges a possibility of human evolution.
The results showed that depressed individuals experienced a state of ambivalence, with negative cognitive, emotional, physical and socioeconomic consequences when they were asked to think about the nearest future. Dissonance can be eliminated by reducing the importance of the conflicting beliefs, acquiring new beliefs that change the balance, or removing the conflicting attitude or behavior. A recent theory by festinger 1957 attempts to state the conditions under which discrepancies between cognitions produce cognitive dissonance, a state of tension that motivates the individual to reduce or eliminate the discrepancies. Jun 11, 2017 in the early 1950s, the behavioral sciences division of the ford foundation gave leon festinger a grant, which was part of the program of the laboratory for research in social relations. Festingers theory of cognitive dissonance has been one of the most in. However, it is sensible to attempt to bring even the most influential and mature theories up to date with current scientific advances. 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. Cite a theory of cognitive dissonance leon festinger. A cognitive dissonance approach harvard university.
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 1957 cited under core books considered three ways to cope with cognitive dissonance. It is also a prime example of how creative thinking and problem solving skills can come together to produce work. A theory of cognitive dissonance by leon festinger 1957. When there is an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors dissonance, something must change to eliminate the dissonance.
Santos, and paul bloom yale university abstract n in a study explo ring the orig ins of cogni tive diss onance, presc hoole rs and capu chins were give n a choic e betw een two equa lly prefe rred alte rnatives two. Sep 05, 2019 the theory is based on the fact that human beings are aware of their actions and that whenever we do something we dont agree with, we must relieve the generated dissonance. A person who experiences internal inconsistency tends to become psychologically uncomfortable and is motivated to reduce the cognitive dissonance. According to festinger, cognitive dissonance occurs when peoples thoughts and feelings are inconsistent with their behavior, which results in an uncomfortable, disharmonious feeling. Cognitive dissonance is the negative feeling that results from conflicting beliefs and behaviors. The origins of cognitive dissonance evidence from childre n and monkeys louisa c. The origins of cognitive dissonance yale university. Contends that a state of impasse exists within learning theory largely because some of its major assumptions stand in apparent opposition to certain wellestablished experimental results. Indeed, the concept of cognitive dissonance has entered popular speech, even political campaigns. A little more than 60 years ago, leon festinger published a theory of cognitive dissonance 1957.
Festinger used the same term, dissonance, to refer to the discrepancy between cognitions and to psychological discomfort. Cognitive dissonance theory has been known to play out in several ways. Festinger 1957 theorized that persons are motivated by the unpleasant state of dissonance to engage in psycho logical work so as to reduce the inconsistency. 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 discomfortiscreated. Cognitive dissonance theory after 50 years of development. Definition and examples psychologist leon festinger first described the theory of cognitive dissonance 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.
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. Festinger s theory said that when a person holds contradictory elements in cognition producing an unpleasant state called dissonance the person will work to bring the elements back into agreement or congruence. Welcome,you are looking at books for reading, the a theory of cognitive dissonance, you will able to read or download in pdf or epub books and notice some of author may have lock the live reading for some of country. Almost half a century ago social psychologist leon festinger developed the cognitive dissonance theory festinger, 1957.
Psychologist leon festinger first described the theory of cognitive dissonance in 1957. Pdf cognitive dissonance theory festinger researchgate. It holds that dissonance is experienced whenever one cognition that a person holds follows from the opposite of at least one other cognition that the person holds. 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. This article was originally published in the encyclopedia of. The theory of cognitive dissonance was molded by leon festinger at the beginning of the 1950s. A theory of cognitive dissonance 1957 pdf cooper cognitive dissonance.
Inconsistency among beliefs or behaviors will cause an uncomfortable psychological tension. Festingers theory proposes that inconsistency among beliefs or behaviours causes an uncomfortable psychological tension i. 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. In uence of models reinforcement contingencies on the acquisition of. This is known as the principle of cognitive consistency. Leon festinger s 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.
Cognitive dissonance challenges a possibility of human evolution cognitive dissonance cd is a discomfort caused by holding conflicting elements of knowledge. The psychological fields generated the concept and theory of cognitive dissonance e. 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. Leon festinger was the first psychologist to study cognitive dissonance around the 1950s, and his works, such as books and experiments, helped to shed light on the ways in which humans act to decrease cognitive dissonance. A theory of cognitive dissonance paperback by leon festinger and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Cognitive dissonance is defined when ones attitudes and beliefs conflict or when our behavior conflicts with our attitudes. Cognitivedissonancetheory after50yearsofdevelopment. Leon festinger and cognitive dissonance exploring your mind. Cognitive dissonance theory leon festinger 1957 the feeling people have when they find themselves doing things that dont fit with what they know, or having opinions that do not fit with other opinions they hold. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. One of the conditions that may be necessary for the creation of cognitive dissonance is that there be some element of volition. Festingers theory of cognitive dissonance has been one of the most influential theories in social psychology jones, 1985. Cognitive dissonance cd is a discomfort caused by holding conflicting elements of knowledge. A theory of cognitive dissonance stanford university press.
The psychologist leon festinger published his theory of cognitive dissonance in his 1957 book, a theory of cognitive dissonance. Another argument that may support the use of the environmental frame for animal advocacy is related with behavioral and attitudinal change. It holds that dissonance is experienced whenever one. Inconsistent, or dissonant, cognitions lead to psychological discomfort, which motivates activity aimed at restoring consonance. Leon festingers social comparison theory the psychology. Cognitive dissonance theory festinger, 1957 posits that individuals seek to maintain consis tency among multiple cognitions e.
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