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.