Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSignsExamplesCausesEffectsResultsCoping
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Signs
Examples
Causes
Effects
Results
Coping
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.
This article provides some examples of cognitive dissonance, discusses the signs, and offers some suggestions on how to cope with it.
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:
Cognitive Dissonance Examples
Examples of cognitive dissonance can range from mild to harmful. They include:
Causes of Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive dissonance happens when situations conflict with the things you believe or want. For example:
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:
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:
Negative effects of cognitive dissonance could include:
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:
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.
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 DissonanceWays to prevent cognitive dissonance include:Resolving to change behavior after learning factsAdmitting that you or someone else can be wrongSetting realistic expectationsUnderstanding whether or not expectations for a goal were realisticResearching ways to improve upon a setback without blaming othersPrioritizing the health and well-being of individuals regardless of group dynamicsAccepting uncertaintyUnderstanding inequality and injustice within large groups and societies
Preventing Cognitive Dissonance
Ways to prevent cognitive dissonance include:Resolving to change behavior after learning factsAdmitting that you or someone else can be wrongSetting realistic expectationsUnderstanding whether or not expectations for a goal were realisticResearching ways to improve upon a setback without blaming othersPrioritizing the health and well-being of individuals regardless of group dynamicsAccepting uncertaintyUnderstanding inequality and injustice within large groups and societies
Ways to prevent cognitive dissonance include:
Summary
Cognitive dissonance is the uncomfortable feeling that can occur when you have conflicting beliefs, values, or behaviors.
12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Cognitive dissonance.Bran A, Vaidis DC.On the characteristics of the cognitive dissonance state: Exploration within the pleasure arousal dominance model.Psychol Belg.2020;60(1):86-102. doi:10.5334/pb.517Dilakshini VL, Kumar SM.Cognitive dissonance: A psychological unrest.CJAST. 2020:54-60. doi:10.9734/CJAST/2020/v39i3030970Gillespie A.Disruption, self-presentation, and defensive tactics at the threshold of learning.Rev Gen Psychol. 2020;24(4):382-396. doi:10.1177/1089268020914258Polage D.The effect of telling lies on belief in the truth.Eur J Psychol. 2017;13(4):633-644. doi:10.5964/ejop.v13i4.1422Nicholson SB, Lutz DJ.The importance of cognitive dissonance in understanding and treating victims of intimate partner violence.J Aggression Maltreat Trauma. 2017;26(5):475-492. doi:10.1080/10926771.2017.1314989Vaghefi I, Qahri-Saremi H.From IT addiction to discontinued use: a cognitive dissonance perspective.Proceedings of the 50th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.2017. doi:10.24251/HICSS.2017.681Fernández AML, Atristain C.Gender inequality in corporate Mexico: analysis of cognitive dissonance impeding social growth and development.IJGSDS. 2017;2(1):43. doi:10.1504/IJGSDS.2017.085610American Psychological Association.Teaching tip sheet: cognitive dissonance.Chang TY, Solomon DH, Westerfield MM.Looking for someone to blame: delegation, cognitive dissonance, and the disposition effect: looking for someone to blame.The Journal of Finance. 2016;71(1):267-302. doi:10.1111/jofi.12311Greiser MM.Understanding cult membership: Beyond “Drinking the Kool-Aid.”SUNY College at New Paltz, Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection. 2019.Psychology Today.The effects of cognitive dissonance on romantic relationships.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Cognitive dissonance.Bran A, Vaidis DC.On the characteristics of the cognitive dissonance state: Exploration within the pleasure arousal dominance model.Psychol Belg.2020;60(1):86-102. doi:10.5334/pb.517Dilakshini VL, Kumar SM.Cognitive dissonance: A psychological unrest.CJAST. 2020:54-60. doi:10.9734/CJAST/2020/v39i3030970Gillespie A.Disruption, self-presentation, and defensive tactics at the threshold of learning.Rev Gen Psychol. 2020;24(4):382-396. doi:10.1177/1089268020914258Polage D.The effect of telling lies on belief in the truth.Eur J Psychol. 2017;13(4):633-644. doi:10.5964/ejop.v13i4.1422Nicholson SB, Lutz DJ.The importance of cognitive dissonance in understanding and treating victims of intimate partner violence.J Aggression Maltreat Trauma. 2017;26(5):475-492. doi:10.1080/10926771.2017.1314989Vaghefi I, Qahri-Saremi H.From IT addiction to discontinued use: a cognitive dissonance perspective.Proceedings of the 50th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.2017. doi:10.24251/HICSS.2017.681Fernández AML, Atristain C.Gender inequality in corporate Mexico: analysis of cognitive dissonance impeding social growth and development.IJGSDS. 2017;2(1):43. doi:10.1504/IJGSDS.2017.085610American Psychological Association.Teaching tip sheet: cognitive dissonance.Chang TY, Solomon DH, Westerfield MM.Looking for someone to blame: delegation, cognitive dissonance, and the disposition effect: looking for someone to blame.The Journal of Finance. 2016;71(1):267-302. doi:10.1111/jofi.12311Greiser MM.Understanding cult membership: Beyond “Drinking the Kool-Aid.”SUNY College at New Paltz, Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection. 2019.Psychology Today.The effects of cognitive dissonance on romantic relationships.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Psychological Association.Cognitive dissonance.Bran A, Vaidis DC.On the characteristics of the cognitive dissonance state: Exploration within the pleasure arousal dominance model.Psychol Belg.2020;60(1):86-102. doi:10.5334/pb.517Dilakshini VL, Kumar SM.Cognitive dissonance: A psychological unrest.CJAST. 2020:54-60. doi:10.9734/CJAST/2020/v39i3030970Gillespie A.Disruption, self-presentation, and defensive tactics at the threshold of learning.Rev Gen Psychol. 2020;24(4):382-396. doi:10.1177/1089268020914258Polage D.The effect of telling lies on belief in the truth.Eur J Psychol. 2017;13(4):633-644. doi:10.5964/ejop.v13i4.1422Nicholson SB, Lutz DJ.The importance of cognitive dissonance in understanding and treating victims of intimate partner violence.J Aggression Maltreat Trauma. 2017;26(5):475-492. doi:10.1080/10926771.2017.1314989Vaghefi I, Qahri-Saremi H.From IT addiction to discontinued use: a cognitive dissonance perspective.Proceedings of the 50th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.2017. doi:10.24251/HICSS.2017.681Fernández AML, Atristain C.Gender inequality in corporate Mexico: analysis of cognitive dissonance impeding social growth and development.IJGSDS. 2017;2(1):43. doi:10.1504/IJGSDS.2017.085610American Psychological Association.Teaching tip sheet: cognitive dissonance.Chang TY, Solomon DH, Westerfield MM.Looking for someone to blame: delegation, cognitive dissonance, and the disposition effect: looking for someone to blame.The Journal of Finance. 2016;71(1):267-302. doi:10.1111/jofi.12311Greiser MM.Understanding cult membership: Beyond “Drinking the Kool-Aid.”SUNY College at New Paltz, Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection. 2019.Psychology Today.The effects of cognitive dissonance on romantic relationships.
American Psychological Association.Cognitive dissonance.
Bran A, Vaidis DC.On the characteristics of the cognitive dissonance state: Exploration within the pleasure arousal dominance model.Psychol Belg.2020;60(1):86-102. doi:10.5334/pb.517
Dilakshini VL, Kumar SM.Cognitive dissonance: A psychological unrest.CJAST. 2020:54-60. doi:10.9734/CJAST/2020/v39i3030970
Gillespie A.Disruption, self-presentation, and defensive tactics at the threshold of learning.Rev Gen Psychol. 2020;24(4):382-396. doi:10.1177/1089268020914258
Polage D.The effect of telling lies on belief in the truth.Eur J Psychol. 2017;13(4):633-644. doi:10.5964/ejop.v13i4.1422
Nicholson SB, Lutz DJ.The importance of cognitive dissonance in understanding and treating victims of intimate partner violence.J Aggression Maltreat Trauma. 2017;26(5):475-492. doi:10.1080/10926771.2017.1314989
Vaghefi I, Qahri-Saremi H.From IT addiction to discontinued use: a cognitive dissonance perspective.Proceedings of the 50th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.2017. doi:10.24251/HICSS.2017.681
Fernández AML, Atristain C.Gender inequality in corporate Mexico: analysis of cognitive dissonance impeding social growth and development.IJGSDS. 2017;2(1):43. doi:10.1504/IJGSDS.2017.085610
American Psychological Association.Teaching tip sheet: cognitive dissonance.
Chang TY, Solomon DH, Westerfield MM.Looking for someone to blame: delegation, cognitive dissonance, and the disposition effect: looking for someone to blame.The Journal of Finance. 2016;71(1):267-302. doi:10.1111/jofi.12311
Greiser MM.Understanding cult membership: Beyond “Drinking the Kool-Aid.”SUNY College at New Paltz, Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection. 2019.
Psychology Today.The effects of cognitive dissonance on romantic relationships.
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