Introduction to the Theory of Cognitive Sissonance

Authors:

Pages: 41-53

Abstract:

The aim of the present paper is to comment on the most important aspects of the cognitive dissonance theory. The latter offers a possible explanation of the ways in which information is selected, of the structure of the cognitive system and the pursuit of harmony and preservation of the Ego. The excitation of the cognitive dissonance between the elements of the cognitive system of the Ego may be the result of different causes but its presence gives rise to tension and psychic discomfort that motivates the Ego to reduce or eliminate it. The cognitive dissonance may be reduced through a change in the behavioral cognitive elements, in the cognitive elements of the environment or in the addition of new elements intensifying one decision instead another. The original ideas of the theory help generate a lot of conceptual and experimental research that enables researchers to broaden its application in the disclosure of the enigmas of human existence.

Keywords:

cognitive dissonance theory; cognitive system; dissonance; consonance; cognitions; psychic discomfort; self-consistency; behavior; cognitive dissonance reduction.

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