Examples of Cognitive Dissonance
Medically reviewed by Michael MacIntyre, MD
Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort you feel when you have two contradictory beliefs or values. Examples of cognitive dissonance include a smoker who knows cigarettes are dangerous, a company that doesn't follow its own code of ethics, or a person who avoids speaking about a past trauma while still dealing with it in the present.
A person with cognitive dissonance experiences mental conflict and may take steps to try to resolve it. This could include changes in behavior or attempts to ignore information that contradicts a goal or desire. For example, a smoker might quit smoking or instead rationalize their behavior by saying other habits are just as dangerous.
This article provides some examples of cognitive dissonance, discusses the signs, and offers some suggestions on how to cope with it.
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Cognitive Dissonance Signs
Cognitive dissonance happens to most people at some point. We can all engage in habits that cause harm to ourselves or the world, and that can cause cognitive dissonance.
Signs of cognitive dissonance depend on the situation, but they usually include feeling tense or adopting behavior meant to cover up or ignore the truth, including:
Hypocritical behavior (the act of doing or saying something that contradicts beliefs or information that is known)
Avoiding discussion and feelings about traumatic events
Defensive behavior
Avoiding facts to cover for a lie
Seeking or spreading information that confirms an idea instead of learning or expressing the truth
Repeating affirmations to the self or others to avoid a change in behavior
Feeling guilty or shameful about acting in a way that doesn't reflect the truth
Emphasizing positive feelings to cover for a lie
Takeaway
Cognitive dissonance theory, which was founded by American social psychologist Leon Festinger in 1957, states that cognitive dissonance drives people to resolve the conflict between truths and behaviors that don't match one another. This can mean either changing behavior or ignoring the truth to avoid discomfort.
Cognitive Dissonance Examples
Examples of cognitive dissonance can range from mild to harmful. They include:
Engaging in verbal or physical abuse: An abuser may understand the abuse is wrong but not want to stop doing it because of the sense of power or control it gives them. A person who is being abused may want to stop the abuse but may also want to protect their abuser.
Pretending traumatic events do not affect the present day: Attempting to ignore the impact of past traumas directly contradicts the thoughts, emotions, and feelings the person has about those events.
Ignoring information in order to maintain privilege: A person in a privileged position may know they're there because of inequality but may be unwilling to give up the benefits of privilege.
Doing harmful things because they're convenient: A person who believes in protecting the environment may also do things that are harmful to the environment because those things are more convenient.
Trying to fit in: Sometimes a person engages in behavior that goes against their own beliefs because they want to be accepted or included in a group.
Causes of Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive dissonance happens when situations conflict with the things you believe or want. For example:
Expectations of others: It is common for the expectations people have of you to conflict with your personal values. You may be asked to do something at work or in your personal life that contradicts those values; for example, you might be asked to tell a lie, mislead someone, or choose your employer's interests over the interests of a customer.
Addiction: A person with a technology addiction may be compelled to continue their unhealthy behavior even when they understand it is damaging their relationships and interfering with school or work.
Privilege: People may ignore inequities between themselves and others because of fear of losing the benefits of privilege. This may happen even in people who say they believe in gender, ethnic, or religious equality.
New information: A person may be unaware that they are engaging in behavior that is harmful to themself or others. When they receive new information that reveals the problems with their behavior, they may experience guilt or shame but may also attempt to justify their behavior or discredit the new information.
Decision-making: Sometimes people are forced to choose between equally appealing alternatives. These choices can leave a person feeling a sense of cognitive dissonance.
Unrealistic expectations: People who have unrealistic expectations about things in their lives including their career and relationships with others may experience cognitive dissonance related to those expectations.
Fear of change: People who are afraid of change may say or do things that contradict their beliefs. For example, when women couldn't vote, those against women voting would call women fighting for voting rights "unladylike" or "spinsters."
Trauma: People who have experienced trauma may avoid discussing it because they don't want to relive those emotions.
Righteousness: Sometimes people hold strong religious or personal beliefs that contradict science or experience.
Covering for actions: When a person makes a poor choice, tells an unplanned lie, or needs to protect their reputation in some other way, they may do things that contradict their own beliefs.
Effects of Cognitive Dissonance
Unresolved cognitive dissonance can cause a range of emotions including anxiety, regret, shame, anger, and low self-esteem. It's natural to want to avoid these feelings, and a person experiencing cognitive dissonance may change their behavior or thinking to accomplish this. For example:
They may change their beliefs or ideas: Some people try to find ways to justify the conflict. This may include finding someone else to blame or looking for reasons why the situation would have been unavoidable even if they had acted differently.
They may ignore or deny the way they feel: This may include lying about their own beliefs or feelings or pretending that the conflict doesn't exist.
They may look for "proof" that their choice or beliefs are correct: This is called confirmation bias. It happens when a person seeks out the information that supports their point of view and ignores the information that does not.
The Result of Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive dissonance can have positive or negative results. Since cognitive dissonance means wanting to reconcile or ease the discomfort of new information, it can lead to:
Quitting a bad habit
Changing behavior after getting correct information
Speaking truth to create change
Addressing trauma or abuse
Negative effects of cognitive dissonance could include:
Staying too long in harmful groups, workplaces, or relationships
Blaming the wrong person or entity for a mistake
A status quo that harms people with fewer rights
Lies becoming more important than the truth
Defense of abusers or harmful group dynamics
How to Resolve Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive dissonance may help you make positive changes in your life, but it can also be destructive, especially when you look for ways to rationalize and continue harmful behaviors. If you're experiencing cognitive dissonance, it's best to ask yourself if the strategies you're using to cope with it will result in a positive long-term outcome.
According to cognitive dissonance theory, there are three ways of coping with cognitive dissonance:
Changing the beliefs based on new information
Changing the behavior
Changing the perception of behavior
If you experience cognitive dissonance, think about what result each of these actions will have in the long term before adopting them as a coping strategy.
If you know texting and driving is dangerous, for example, changing the behavior will protect you and others in the long term. On the other hand, changing your perception of the behavior by telling yourself you have enough driving experience to text and drive safely will not have the same long-term outcome.
Not all cognitive dissonance needs to be corrected. For example, the cognitive dissonance you might experience after choosing between two equally appealing options isn't necessarily destructive unless you choose an option that will cause harm to yourself or someone else over an option that won't. If both options are equally harmless, changing your beliefs to support the option you chose won't have any long-term negative impacts.
Preventing Cognitive Dissonance
Ways to prevent cognitive dissonance include:
Resolving to change behavior after learning facts
Admitting that you or someone else can be wrong
Setting realistic expectations
Understanding whether or not expectations for a goal were realistic
Researching ways to improve upon a setback without blaming others
Prioritizing the health and well-being of individuals regardless of group dynamics
Accepting uncertainty
Understanding inequality and injustice within large groups and societies
Summary
Cognitive dissonance is the uncomfortable feeling that can occur when you have conflicting beliefs, values, or behaviors.
Cognitive dissonance can have many different causes, including addiction, a desire to meet the expectations of others, fear of change, and trauma. People with cognitive dissonance often try to resolve the feeling either by changing their behavior or beliefs or with other strategies like ignoring or justifying the contradiction.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
