How do modern psychologists understand the interaction between genetic predispositions and environmental influences in the development of personality and behavior?
This theory explains the mental discomfort that is experienced when an individual holds contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values simultaneously. In other words, it is an internal tension which makes individuals solve the conflict to restore balance. How Cognitive Dissonance Influences Decision MakingRead more
This theory explains the mental discomfort that is experienced when an individual holds contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values simultaneously. In other words, it is an internal tension which makes individuals solve the conflict to restore balance.
How Cognitive Dissonance Influences Decision Making Processes
Cognitive dissonance can greatly affect decisions. An individual is offered a choice of two things sometimes, and upon making the choice, dissonance arises due to the failure of the choice to fit the beliefs or values they hold dear. To rectify the unease, they may:
Rationalize the decision: After making a decision, people look at the brighter side of what they have chosen and dismiss the darker side, even though the decision is defective.
Change their belief: They change their belief which is in line with their action, by changing one of the currently held beliefs or attitudes. For example, a smoker who knows he is damaging it, then try to de-emphasize risks or explain it by saying that ‘it’s not that harmful’.
-Seek information that supports the choice: They tend to look for supporting information that confirms that their decision was correct and avoid information that asserts otherwise and maintains their behavior.
How Cognitive Dissonance Affects Behavior Change
Cognitive dissonance can also be a reason for change in one’s behavior. If one adopts behaviors that conflict with his beliefs, he suffers from dissonance. In order to eliminate this discomfort, one may:
-Change behavior: To make the actions consistent with the beliefs, people may modify their behavior. For instance, a person holds the belief about environmental sustainability yet uses a car that consumes plenty of fuel. He may have dissonance because his activities do not tend to be coherent with his believes. He will reduce the pain by opting to use a vehicle that consumes minimal fuel or opt to car pool.
– Rationalization of behavior: Such people would look for ways to justify the inconsistency between what they do and what they believe. For instance, people might argue that their car is vital for their work or that they balance it in other ways.
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In modern psychology, people's personality and behavior can be defined as the interdependence of inheritor factors or inherited traits (nature) and the impact of upbringing and education (nurture). 1. Genetic Predispositions: Genes contain an architectural plan for possibly implying the attributes,Read more
In modern psychology, people’s personality and behavior can be defined as the interdependence of inheritor factors or inherited traits (nature) and the impact of upbringing and education (nurture).
1. Genetic Predispositions: Genes contain an architectural plan for possibly implying the attributes, such as extroversion or resilience; however, genes do not create the outcome independently.
2. Environmental Influences: It is, therefore, important for people to understand that family, education, and culture play a role in determining how genes are formed. For instance, a well-nurturing environment will genetically endow intelligent people with the ability to express themselves fully.
3. Interaction and Epigenetics: Epigenetics occurs when some experiences lead to changing the genotype or turning it on or off as a result of the environment. Chronic stress or trauma in one’s youth can change how genes are regulated and hence affect behavior.
4. Developmental Perspective: The importance of nature and nurture changes with the age of the child. An individual’s early learning leaves lifelong impressions; however, people’s everyday transactions perpetually influence their personalities and actions.
Thus, it is apparent that the dual processes of genes and environment interaction fix personality and behavior.
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