The study cognitive dissonance is a phenomenon studied by leon festinger most famously in his 1954 study involving 71 male students from stanford university. Festingers 1957 theory of cognitive dissonance suggested that individuals seek to maintain consonance or consistency. In an event wherein some of these cognitions clash, an unsettled state of tension occurs and this is called. One key aspect of cognitive dissonance theory is that individuals experience a mental discomfort after taking actions that appear to be in con. A little more than 60 years ago, leon festinger published a theory of cognitive dissonance 1957. Cognitive dissonance theory cognitive dissonance theory was first developed by leon festinger in 1956 after the publication of a book when prophecy fails, written with coauthors henry w. Inconsistent or conflicting beliefs lead to disharmony, which people strive to avoid. When there is an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors dissonance, something must change to eliminate the dissonance. An important factor here is the principle of cognitive consistency, the focus of festingers 1957 theory of. Cognitive dissonance theory of leon festinger slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Festinger 1957 cited under core books considered three ways to cope with cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance theory links actions and attitudes. Attitudes may change because of factors within the person.
Cognitive dissonance 1 theory paper cognitive dissonance. Leon festingers account of cognitive dissonance, published in 1957, has become one of the. I will focus on those main points in my examination of this theory. Recently festinger 1957 proposed a theory concerning cognitive dissonance from which come a number of derivations about opinion change following forced compliance. In general, social psychologists, always looking for the next great theory, seemed to have shelved this book and its concepts within a couple of decades after it came out in 1957 see leon festingers comments 30 years later in appendix b of cognitive dissonance progress on a. This site is like a library, you could find million book here by using search box in the header. Riecken and stanley schachter, to explain how members of a ufo doomsday cult increased their commitment to the cult when a prophesised destruction of the earth did not happen. Cognitive dissonance theory by festinger communicative. Almost half a century ago social psychologist leon festinger developed the cognitive dissonance theory festinger, 1957. The theory of dissonance is here applied to the problem of why partial reward, delay of reward, and effort expenditure during training result in increased resistance to extinction. Inasmuch as festingers theory is concerned with attitude change and attempts to discern how persuasive messages are processed in the minds of listeners, there is no doubt that it may be regarded as a communication theory. The key fe ature of dissonance is that individual beliefs.
People hold many different cognitions about their world, e. Festinger theorized that, when an individual holds two or more elements of knowledge that are relevant to each other but inconsistent with one another,astate of. Leon festingers theory of cognitive dissonance has been widely recognized for its important and influential concepts in areas of motivation and social psychology. I personally would still have some discomfort over approx 8 dollars, but over about 160. Teacher beliefs and classroom practices cognitive dissonance. But even before festinger was the greek fabulist aesop.
This article was originally published in the encyclopedia. Leon festinger formulated the original theory of cognitive dissonance in the mid1950s, and the first formal and complete presentation of the theory appeared in 1957. Psychologist leon festinger first proposed a theory of cognitive dissonance centered on how people try to reach internal consistency. Keep reading for a brief biography of festinger and to learn more about. Why contradictions bother us so much michael march 20, 2007 social psychology 3 comments every since leon festinger gave us the term cognitive dissonance, weve been asking questions about contradictions in human behavior. Smoking o it is dangerous for my health o i smoke cigarettes. Pdf a theory of cognitive dissonance semantic scholar. In a way the ideas of the dissonance work were a further and more basic development of his thinking about.
Cognitive dissonance theory has been known to play out in several ways. When there is an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors dissonance, something must change to eliminate the. Ronis ohio state university recent revisions of cognitive dissonance theory no longer encompass some of the important examples, data, and hypotheses that were part of festingers original statement. Cognitive dissonance is acting different from your beliefs, leading to feelings of anxiety, guilt, or other emotions. Cognitive dissonance theory, developed by leon festinger 1957, is concerned with the relationships among cognitions. The cognitive dissonance experiment is based on the theory of cognitive dissonance proposed by leon festinger in the year 1957. According to cognitive dissonance theory, there is a tendency for individuals to seek consistency among their cognitions i. For example, cognitive dissonance has explainedex post justi. Pdf cognitive dissonance theory festinger researchgate. Festingers 1957 cognitive dissonance theory suggests that we have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and beliefs in harmony and avoid disharmony dissonance.
This robust theory suggests that a motivational state of inner tension is triggered by logically inconsistent ways of thinking. It holds that dissonance is experienced whenever one. Festinger s 1957 cognitive dissonance theory suggests that we have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and beliefs in harmony and avoid disharmony dissonance. Cognitive dissonance introduction leon festinger published in 1957. Leon festinger s 1957 a theory of cognitive dissonance is a key text in the history of psychology one that made its author one of the most influential social psychologists of his time. Cognitive dissonance festinger starts with a definition of dissonance as the existence of nonfitting relations among cognitions. A theory of cognitive dissonance download pdfepub ebook. Dissonance theory was an attempt to determine, at a more basic, purely cognitive level, the origin of such pres sures. Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site. After recognizing that people experience cognitive dissonance because they are not in control of the information they receive and because many things tend to be a mixture of contradictions, he 1957, p. In a theory of cognitive dissonance 1957, leon festinger proposed that human beings strive for internal psychological consistency to function mentally in the real world. Festinger turned next to the development of a set of ideas for which he is perhaps best known in psychology the theory of cognitive dissonance festinger, 1957. Nov 11, 2009 cognitive dissonance theory of leon festinger slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Cite a theory of cognitive dissonance leon festinger.
Cognitive dissonance is the negative feeling that results from conflicting beliefs and behaviors. He suggested that people have an inner need to ensure that their beliefs and behaviors are consistent. The origins of cognitive dissonance mind and development lab. A theory of cognitive dissonance leon festinger download. An introduction to cognitive dissonance theory and an. Psychologist leon festinger is known for his theory of cognitive dissonance, which concerns our actions and attitudes. Leon festinger developed the cognitive dissonance theory festinger, 1957 dissonance occurs when a person perceives a logical inconsistency in their beliefs, when one idea implies the opposite of another. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. Almost half a century ago social psychologist leon festinger developed the cognitive dissonance theory festinger. Cognitive dissonance theory leon festinger 1957 pdf book. This work is a clearly stated theory on how humans think, decide, and defend their decisions. In this sense, festingers theory of cognitive dissonance and its in. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. In other words, people simply tend to befriend their neighbors.
Festinger s 1957 cognitive dissonance theory suggests that we have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and behavior in harmony and avoid disharmony or dissonance. Show that dissonance can hurt selfesteem or increases guilt 5. Festingers theory of cognitive dissonance springerlink. The origins of cognitive dissonance evidence from childre n and monkeys louisa c. His theories and research are credited with renouncing the previously dominant behaviorist view of social psychology by demonstrating the inadequacy of stimulusresponse conditioning accounts of human behavior. The origins of cognitive dissonance yale university. Cognitive dissonance theory leon festinger 1957 pdf. Festingers theory of cognitive dissonance has been one of the most in. It is also a prime example of how creative thinking and problem solving skills can come together to produce work that changes the way people look at questions for good. Inasmuch as festinger s theory is concerned with attitude change and attempts to discern how persuasive messages are processed in the minds of listeners, there is no doubt that it may be regarded as a communication theory. A cognitive dissonance approach harvard university. The original version of the theory leon festinger formulated the original theory of cognitive dissonance in the mid1950s, and the first formal and complete presentation of the theory appeared in 1957. Read online cognitive dissonance theory leon festinger 1957 book pdf free download link book now. Cognitive dissonance leon festinger according to cognitive dissonance theory, there is a tendency for individuals to seek consistency among their cognitions i.
Cognitive dissonance as defined by the book, the distressing mental state caused by inconsistency between a persons two beliefs or a belief and an action, 200. This is known as the principle of cognitive consistency. In general, social psychologists, always looking for the next great theory, seemed to have shelved this book and its concepts within a couple of decades after it came out in 1957 see leon festingers comments 30 years later in appendix b of cognitive dissonance progress on a pivotal theory in social. All books are in clear copy here, and all files are secure so dont worry about it. Leon festinger s theory of cognitive dissonance has been widely recognized for its important and influential concepts in areas of motivation and social psychology. Another argument that may support the use of the environmental frame for animal advocacy is related with behavioral and attitudinal change. A theory of cognitive dissonance leon festinger download bok. Festinger s influential social comparison theory can be viewed as an extension of his prior theory related to the reliance on social reality for evaluating attitudes and opinions to the realm of abilities. Cognitive dissonance theory of leon festinger free download as powerpoint presentation.
The theory of cognitive dissonance festinger, 1957. Festingers 1957 cognitive dissonance theory suggests that we have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and behavior in harmony and avoid disharmony or dissonance. A person who experiences internal inconsistency tends to become psychologically uncomfortable and is motivated to reduce the cognitive dissonance. That brings us to the next point, namely the categorization of cognitive dissonance theory. Festingers theory asserts that indivi duals are distressed by conflicting cognitive elements, such as a discrepancy betwee n e m pirical evidence and past choices and thus they alter their beliefs to reduce this discomfort. Originally published in the journal of abnormal and social psychology in 1959, cognitive consequences of forced compliance by leon festinger and james carlsmith was the first of numerous studies to corroborate the. Festingers 1957 cognitive dissonance theory suggests that we have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and beliefs in harmony and avoid disharmony or dissonance. Since these derivations are stated in detail by festinger 1957, ch. An important factor here is the principle of cognitive consistency, the focus of festinger s 1957 theory of. Santos, and paul bloom yale university abstract n in a study explo ring the orig ins of cogni tive diss onance, presc hoole rs and capu chins were give n a choic e betw een two equa lly prefe rred alte rnatives two.
A theory of cognitive dissonance by festinger, leon, 19191989. Download cognitive dissonance theory leon festinger 1957 book pdf free download link or read online here in pdf. University of groningen patterns of cognitive dissonance in. Inconsistency among beliefs or behaviors will cause an uncomfortable psychological tension. Ty book ti a theory of cognitive dissonance au festinger, leon sp 291 cy stanford pb stanford university press py 1957 ur. In this chapter, the main results of a structuralist analysis of festingers theory of cognitive dissonance and of a typical dissonance experiment are presented and. Cognitivedissonancetheory after50yearsofdevelopment. Cognitive dissonance cognitive dissonance has been considered one of the most simplistic and widely accepted accounts of cognitive i. Show why other ways to reduce dissonance like avoidance will not work 7. Leon festinger 8 may 1919 11 february 1989 was an american social psychologist, perhaps best known for cognitive dissonance and social comparison theory.