Cognitive Dissonance Theory Examples

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I am an individual who likes and loves helping others out particularly if they cannot help themselves. I am a benevolent individual in nature and this is deep within me as most times I am in a situation to help an individual, I do help them. A friend of mine earlier on came and asked for my help in the form of monetary aid. I did not think much about it and instead stretched out my hand and gave the aid needed. I like maintaining and managing my finance which is why I do partake in the common form of saving money for later use. It was because of this that I did have money I could spare and help out a friend. Later on, the same friend came back later and asked for an additional sum, which coincided perfectly with the fact that I had some money…show more content…
The events in the experiment do match up the conditions that are supposed to be present for cognitive dissonance to occur. Festinger did discover that individuals tend to seek consistency amongst their actions, as when the belief did not come to pass, some of them might have attributed it to sheer experience while those who considered themselves as staunch might have found another explanation as to why it did not happen to reaffirm their belief. According to research, cognitive dissonance can be corrected through the application of a remedy which involves the elimination of the dissonance that has occurred (Festinger & Carlsmith, 1959). According to the theory, the experienced tension and discomfort are as a result of a mismatch of the behaviour, which in this case is failing to aid my friend against the belief of helping individuals who are in need, yet I was in a position to aid them. In the other experience, there was the occurrence of cognitive dissonance when the belief of treating people kindly and politely was conflicted when the behaviour conducted was the opposite of the attitude. The above experiences have the ability to support the existence of cognitive dissonance as there has been conflicting attitudes and beliefs in both experiences. The variables that were required to be met for the…show more content…
Individuals try to search for images that are on the outside that help them in evaluating themselves in terms of abilities and opinions. These images are presented by other people which results in comparisons. Research conducted by Carlsmith and Festinger through a lab test where individuals were asked to conduct various tasks that were deemed boring revealed that the human mind can be subject to change in decisions once an incentive has been introduced. The experiment involved different groups that were used to test cognitive dissonance theory and they each presented different results. One control group that was exposed to behaviour that conflicted with their attitude or belief showed evidence of cognitive dissonance while the other did not because there was nothing that was contradicting their decisions. The participants in the experiment were supposed to conduct various tasks that were deemed boring, with the control group not getting paid while the other group being paid to tell other participants that the activity was fun and enjoyable. Evidence provided showed that those who were paid did in fact tell other participants that the activities they participated in were enjoyable and fun (Festinger & Carlsmith,
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