Explain the concept of cognitive dissonance and discuss how it can affect decision-making processes and behavior change.
Doubts and uncertainty are a natural part of any meaningful journey, here being the purpose. There's no permanent cure for both emotional states. Doubt and uncertainty will never leave an individual's space, as it is integrated through ages. Rather, a convenient way to reconcile doubt and uncertaintRead more
Doubts and uncertainty are a natural part of any meaningful journey, here being the purpose. There’s no permanent cure for both emotional states. Doubt and uncertainty will never leave an individual’s space, as it is integrated through ages. Rather, a convenient way to reconcile doubt and uncertainty with purpose is through actions.
Often, this is the only remedy to build self-trust and belief in an individual’s abilities slowly. Doubt and uncertainty can also be seen as a stepping stone into a new, unfamiliar space.
Many psychologists and scientists have given ways to, not overcome, but find ways through doubt and uncertainty.
- Find your values: While setting goals or finding purpose, values play a pivotal role. Let’s say, you set a goal inspired by an artist – you want to accomplish what he has done. So, you set out to do so. You follow his regime, listen to him talk, watch his ways, etc. You become him.
But something does not fit right. You feel like a sham. You have copied everything that some other person has done. And so, whatever success you have feels worthless.
Now, let’s say you know your values. A value-driven life always gives a meaningful living. - Breaking Down Goals: Let’s say you have a goal that is larger than you think. Your mind keeps telling you that is it impossible, how can you achieve it, and so on.
Here, many have practiced breaking down the goal into smaller steps. A yearly goal becomes a monthly goal. A monthly goal becomes a weekly goal. And a weekly goal becomes a daily goal. - Becoming self-aware: While setting smaller goals, it is crucial to be self-aware. Awareness about your thoughts, actions, and feelings becomes important while decluttering important from unimportant. Awareness will bring you to the present moment, which is what experts practice.
Doubt and uncertainty can never be removed. But they can be overcome by building daily habits and rituals, and following them through ups and downs will build self-trust and confidence.
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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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