Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Fundamentals

Leon Festinger introduced the concept of cognitive dissonance while exploring what motivates individuals to reduce inconsistencies in their lives. His formative work attempted not only to define dissonance but also to outline factors that impact the occurrence and magnitude of the experience. Broadly, he proposed that dissonance occurs when people’s cognitive elements are not aligned. Cognitive elements refer to the knowledge people hold about what they do, how they feel, what they like, or what they desire. Festinger also suggested that it is rare to never experience dissonance. First, new information from our surrounding environment continually challenges our existing knowledge of what we do, feel, like, or desire. Second, the choices we make are seldom black and white, and as a result, dissonance is a reality of decision making. Although dissonance cannot always be avoided, the magnitude with which we experience dissonance does vary. Specifically, the magnitude of dissonance confronting us corresponds with the degree of discrepancy and the importance of the two competing cognitive elements. The greater the divergence and/or importance of the cognitive elements, the greater the likelihood that dissonance will be aroused. Based on this interpretation of dissonance, Festinger’s central argument was that people find dissonance highly aversive and strive to reduce the associated psychological discomfort. Ultimately, as the magnitude of dissonance increases, so does the urgency to reconcile the tension.

Multiple strategies can be executed to mitigate psychological discomfort when it is aroused. One approach includes making changes to either cognitions of behavior or cognitions of attitudes when they are not aligned. Consider the example of a manager who lays off an employee whom he holds in high esteem. The manager likely faces a great deal of psychological discomfort since his cognitions of his attitude (holding the employee in high esteem) and behavior (laying off the employee) are at odds. One approach to reducing this dissonance is rehiring the employee. If he is successful in bringing the employee back to his [Page 118]team, the cognitions of his attitude and his behavior will be positively aligned, mitigating the experienced dissonance. Though such a behavioral change may effectively reduce dissonance, a manager might not be at liberty to rehire the employee. In this case, the manager could alter his attitude toward the employee by calling to mind negative examples of the employee’s job performance (e.g., when the employee was late to work, a time when the employee made an error in a report). This change in the manager’s attitude will bring greater consistency between his two cognitive elements and reduce the aroused dissonance.

...