What Is the Meaning of Dissonance In Psychology?
If you are starting to learn about psychology, then the term "Dissonance" always holds special importance. Dissonance meaning in psychology was introduced by Leon Festinger in the year 1957 and it focuses on understanding the discomfort that arises when there are two conflicting beliefs and attitudes. Cognitive dissonance meaning in psychology is pertinent and it simply means to alleviate the mental discomfort that an individual might face.
Dissonance Definition Psychology
If we define dissonance in psychology, it refers to the psychological tension that occurs when a person holds two or more contradictory thought patterns or beliefs. These cognitions can also be attitudes, beliefs or even actions. If two of these ideas are in collision with each other, then it will create unrest and that leads to "Dissonance".
It forces individuals to seek resolution and align their thoughts and behaviours so that they can reduce the associated inconsistency. Dissonance meaning in psychology refers to the unrest and the constant urge to unify these thoughts.
Deciphering More Than Just The Cognitive Dissonance Psychology Definition
Now that we have tried to define cognitive dissonance in psychology, it is important to understand the basics as well as outlined by Festinger. These are:
Cognitive Elements
Every dissonance needs to have at least two elements involved that are against each other. These can be beliefs, attitudes, values or behaviours.
Inconsistency
The theory also focuses on the fact that individuals are always motivated so that they can maintain cognitive consistency. It is when inconsistencies emerge that you feel the urge to realign them and it leads to "mental discord".
Discomfort
Another important domain is that cognitive dissonance will always lead to a sense of unease or discomfort. It is this discomfort that requires them to work towards and achieve parity.
Resolution
To get rid of the discomfort, there are a few resolutions that you can adopt. This ensures that one of the elements or both of them are changed so that it can come in line.
Real-Life Examples That Better Explain Cognitive Dissonance Theory Definition
To better understand the cognitive dissonance meaning in psychology, let's take a real-life example. Supposedly we take the case of a smoker. He or she knows that smoking is extremely injurious to health. However, the individual is also extremely conscious about their health. This will automatically lead to cognitive dissonance and will force the individual to change and resolve the same. It can be done either by quitting smoking or even downplaying the risks which are associated with smoking.
Cognitive dissonance is extremely pertinent and this is one of the major reasons why it is applied in a lot of marketing strategies as well. Marketers tend to use cognitive dissonance and they do this by highlighting how a product or service can resolve the client's inner conflicts. The Cognitive dissonance theory developed by Leon Festinger explains how people strive to reduce mental inconsistency and achieve parity. Till now it is extremely relevant and is an important part of basic human psychology.
