Like past literature on cognitive dissonance, our results support its potentially detrimental effects as well as its potential benefits for children (Hornstra et al., 2022). Narratives of divorce reveal how a child resolves their cognitive dissonance can lead to both positive and negative attitudes towards themselves and to their parents. Similarly for children involved in triangulation from divorce, they may show similar processes of cognitive restoration, including blaming themselves for the divorce. From our results, this may reflect an attempt to explain their active involvement in loyalty conflicts while not adhering to blame narratives towards their parents (Blow & Daniel, 2016). Further, they may cope in ways that dissociate themselves from the divorce and inadvertently generate internalized stigma, denial, minimization of their feelings, and/or a tendency to avoid confrontation of interpersonal conflict (Pantelis et al., 2015).

Skill #22 Cognitive Dissonance: Mind the Gap

Moreover, this allowed children to shift their moral obligation to one of self-agency, based on family interdependence, both inside and outside their family lives (Brand et al., 2017; O’Hara et al., 2019; Stokkebekk, Iversen, Hollekim, et al., 2019). From there, examining the source of dissonance, seeking professional help, engaging in self-reflection, and building a support network can all contribute to a successful treatment journey. By gaining a deeper understanding of the root causes of cognitive dissonance, you can develop targeted strategies to alleviate the discomfort and work towards alignment. It completely changes a person’s moral compass, which is why the choice they make to engage in these addictive behaviors is stronger than just willpower.

• Whether through professional help or self-improvement strategies, there are various avenues for support and growth.
• Dr. Noulas says that successes in women’s rights, environmental rights, and gay rights are examples of positive change that have resulted from cognitive dissonance.
• Gaining insight into this mental tug-of-war is an important step toward emotional wellness and personal growth.
• Given that interpretations of stimuli likely vary both across persons and situations, the appraisal framework opens up new ways of understanding individual and situational differences in dissonance detection.

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Cognitive dissonance has been studied for more than 60 years and many insightful findings have come from this research. However, some important theoretical and methodological issues are yet to be resolved, particularly regarding dissonance reduction. In this paper, we place dissonance theory in the larger framework of appraisal theories of emotion, emotion regulation, and coping. The basic premise of dissonance theory is that people experience negative affect (to varying degrees) following the detection of cognitive conflict. The individual will be motivated to alleviate these emotional reactions and could do so by reducing dissonance in some manner.

• This tension arises due to the cognitive discomfort of holding contradictory thoughts simultaneously.
• It was proven that individuals tend to look for some sort of stability and dependability with their attitudes, perceptions, and thoughts.
• For example, a person who tends to binge drink will justify their behavior by saying it is just a couple drink when in reality it is an excessive amount in a short period of time.
• Further, they may cope in ways that dissociate themselves from the divorce and inadvertently generate internalized stigma, denial, minimization of their feelings, and/or a tendency to avoid confrontation of interpersonal conflict (Pantelis et al., 2015).
• At Greater Boston Behavioral Health, we provide a range of therapies to address cognitive dissonance and its impact on behavioral health.

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This internal conflict can sabotage efforts to seek help or make positive changes, trapping individuals in a cycle of destructive behavior. Throughout this paper, we make the point that dissonance reduction is a form of emotion regulation. The purpose is to provide an encompassing model that also highlights both the role of specific emotions (or clusters of emotions) and the role of individual differences in emotion regulation in order to predict how people might reduce dissonance.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Weight Loss: Transforming Your Mindset for…

We first describe dissonance theory and review some of the major views on dissonance reduction. Later, we outline our theoretical account of dissonance reduction (based on Festinger’s original formulation from 1957) and show how past ideas of dissonance reduction can be understood under a broader model of emotion regulation. Thereafter, we offer some ideas for the potential correspondence between specific emotions and dissonance-reduction strategies. We will also illustrate the feasibility of the emotion regulation perspective by re-analyzing data from a typical dissonance study. Lastly, we offer an outlook for the continued theoretical development of the dissonance-reduction process.

How Cognitive Dissonance Impacts Our Lifestyle

Cognitive dissonance therapy can help resolve this conflict, leading to a more balanced and positive self-view. Now that we understand the process, let’s explore how cognitive dissonance therapy can be applied to various mental health challenges. Instead, it’s a gradual process of aligning your thoughts and actions in a way that feels authentic and reduces internal conflict.

However, by employing effective treatment techniques, individuals can cope with and resolve this internal conflict. Whether through professional help or self-improvement strategies, there are various avenues for support and growth. Beyond seeking professional help, engaging in self-reflection and self-improvement practices can be instrumental in the treatment of cognitive dissonance. alcoholism By actively exploring your thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors, you can identify areas for growth and work towards aligning your values and actions. In this article, we will explore effective cognitive dissonance treatment techniques that can help individuals cope with this challenging experience.

A well-known effect of inducing dissonance this way is that people tend to change their attitude as a way of reducing dissonance. That is, they become more positively tuned to something toward which they previously held a negative attitude (Festinger and Carlsmith, 1959). Another common way to investigate dissonance theory is by having people make difficult choices between equally attractive/unattractive options.

Finally, in our dissonance reduction model we assume (based on the process model of emotional regulation) that any specific reduction strategy will depend on where in the regulation process the situation is located–early or late. However, once the individual is stuck in the situation (situations resembling induced compliance, induced hypocrisy, or effort justification) avoidance is no longer available, and distraction might be too difficult to employ. In sum, given that the purpose of dissonance reduction is to alleviate emotional tension, an emotion-regulation framework seems to be an appropriate tool for understanding the dissonance-reduction process.

For instance, an individual might feel more guilt after violating a dearly held attitude, and might try harder to make amends for the violation, when this occurs in front of people that hold the same attitude (vs. in front of people that do not care about the attitude). Key to this model is also the feedback loop from motivational and cognitive interaction back to the initial interpretation and emotional reaction (i.e., from the secondary to the primary stage) Thus, motivational and cognitive factors could intensify or dampen the ongoing emotion generation process. For instance, the individual might have been too tired or simply not in the mood to deal with the dissonant situation. However, as the situation evolves the individual understands that it might be in his/her best interest to find a way to resolve the dissonant situation (see Kato, 2012, on changing coping strategies). The intensity of the emotion might increase, however, if an individual engages in a situation with the intention of trying to resolve dissonance in a constructive way but then realizes that it will not be possible.

Cognitive dissonance was first introduced by social psychologist Leon Festinger in 1957. He proposed that people are driven by a need for consistency between their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. When there is a mismatch, it creates dissonance, leading to discomfort that we are naturally inclined to reduce. Applying a broader emotional perspective, we will incorporate many of the previous, seemingly disconnected, accounts of dissonance reduction into a general model (see Figure 1). This organization of past accounts will not just clarify the existing literature, it will also generate novel ideas and a new set of hypotheses not considered in past dissonance research. Note that in our model dissonance detection has already occurred, and it thus deals exclusively with the dissonance-reduction process.