Introduction
This is the feeling that a person gets when he or she is confronted by two opposing ideas at the same time. It happens when one is persuaded to do something that is contrary to his or her beliefs. It can be explained as embarrassment, guilt, or an uncomfortable feeling. The strength of the feeling is increased with the increase in the importance of the conflicting matter and the inability to make a rational decision on the best way of doing something.
As individuals, there is what we believe that we are, if I do something that is contrary to my beliefs then I will be faced with the dissonance feeling. For example, if I believe that I am wise enough to make an informed decision, but mislead somebody who had come for advice and leads to injury on the other person, I feel guilty of the action. This also happens when we are looking into the lives of others and find them doing the opposite of what we believe is the right thing. We are faced with dissonance (Cooper & Fazio, 1984). To relieve ourselves from the guilty feeling, there are things that we do that in turn affect who we are or the actions that we undertake in life. This paper will discuss the action that we take as a remedy to the dissonance feeling and how they affect our day-to-day lives.
Change Our Behavior
The attitude and belief that I hold today were instilled in me right from the time that I was born. In most cases, it is not as a result of deliberate actions but I found myself the way I am, it is through socialization, inherited aspect/ biological aspects. They may not be in line with other people’s beliefs and thus after I undergo a conflict of beliefs as I interact with others, there is the possibility of deliberate decisions to change my behavior so as to fit in the group.
The change can be to a more socially acceptable behavior or it may change to a behavior that is acceptable to the group but socially unacceptable. For example, if a child has been brought up in a family that does not allow sharing of what one has, the child may develop a behavior of being selfish; if he goes to other children that believe in sharing, the child is more likely to change the perception towards giving. In the case of an adult, if one has been working in a firm where the organizational culture generally works against the top management if he goes to another company that believes and adheres to free interaction between the top management and the staff, he will feel guilty of the attitude that he has come in with and is more likely to change the behavior (Tavris & Eliot, 2007).
Justify Our Behavior by Changing the Conflicting Cognition
To defend my beliefs and attitudes, I may make decisions that are aimed at justifying my actions even after the occurrence of a conflicting issue. This has been recognized by the “fox theory” this is when the fox after realizing that it can’t reach some fruits that were ripe, said that they may be bitter. The same happens with the life of human beings; you may be confronted with conflicting situations and instead of being persuaded to the other you look for factors to reinforce your own behavior. After that, the belief and the attitude that you have developed becomes part of you (Harmon-Jones & Mills, 1999). For example, if someone believes that a catholic priest is not supposed to marry; then he gets stories that the priest actually commits adultery, he is faced with the dissonance of whether to leave that church or not. Instead of being persuaded to leave the church, he may wave everything by a simple justification that the pastor has felt like any other person and thus the act can be legitimized.
It Molds
My personality defines the attitude that I have on various aspects of life. The way I perceive things is molded by the past experiences that I have had about a similar situation. I sometimes get to interact with people who have had a different experience on the same issue and thus they make decisions in line with their past feelings and experiences. When in such a group, I will be more persuaded to change my attitude toward the said issue. For example, someone may hold a negative attitude towards the single parent, because of one who used abusive language to the children who thereafter adapted the same behavior. If he is then in the midst of well-behaved single parents or children of single mothers; he can easily change the attitude that he holds on single parents and think positively of them (Cooper, 2007).
Conclusion
Our beliefs, attitudes, and experiences define who we are and the decisions and attitudes that we hold. Since in this world, no one is an island, we are faced with contradicting issues, and our own actions to this cause cognitive dissonance. It molds us and leads to change of some aspects of our lives.
References
- Cooper, J., & Fazio, R. H. (1984). A new look at dissonance theory. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 17, pp. 229–266). New York: Academic Press
- Cooper, J. (2007). Cognitive dissonance: 50 years of a classic theory. London: Sage publications.
- Harmon-Jones, E., & Mills J (1999). Cognitive Dissonance: Progress on a Pivotal Theory in Social Psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association
- Tavris, C. & Eliot A. (2007). Mistakes were made (but not by me): Why we justify foolish beliefs, bad decisions, and hurtful acts. Orlando, FL: Harcourt