The central premise of cognitive dissonance theory is that psychological inconsistency makes people uncomfortable. The discomfort experienced is what is typically referred to as dissonance. Name two ways of reducing dissonance, and apply it to an example.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Ans: The following are three primary ways of reducing dissonance:
1. Change one or more of the dissonant cognitions. ?
2. Add new cognitions to make existing cognitions consistent.
3. Downplay importance of dissonant cognitions.
In applying the example of Gary, who kicked a cat despite being a self-proclaimed animal lover, he could attempt to reduce the dissonance experienced by (1) changing one or more of the cognitions (i.e., “I never really liked cats anyway”), (2) adding new cognitions to make existing cognitions consistent (i.e., “The cat might have attacked me at a later point if I didn’t scare it away” or, “The cat walked into me; I didn’t purposely kick the cat”), or (3) “It was just one cat; I still care deeply about the lives of all animals.”
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Difficulty Level: Hard