Can someone explain what cognitive dissonance is?

[Room101]

:)

[starroute]

1. Somebody else may give you the technical definition

But it's basically having your nose rubbed in the fact that you're trying to believe two incompatible things at the same time. It tends to make people very cranky.

[GOPisEvil]

2. Sure!

Cognitive dissonance is a psychological phenomenon which has two major effects on learning:

if someone is called upon to learn something which contradicts what they already think they know — particularly if they are committed to that prior knowledge — they are likely to resist the new learning. Accommodation is more difficult than Assimilation, in Piaget's terms.

if learning something has been difficult, uncomfortable, or even humiliating enough, people are not likely to admit that the content of what has been learned is not valuable. To do so would be to admit that one has been "had", or "conned".

Source: http://www.dmu.ac.uk/~jamesa/learning/dissonance.htm

[Nomad559]

3. Google

http://www.dmu.ac.uk/~jamesa/learning/dissonance.htm

http://www.google.com/search?client=lgtech-kb&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=cognitive+dissonance+&btnG=Google+Search

:-)

[anti_shrub]

4. How about an example?

Say, Fox News viewers who are insulted that Al Franken badmouths their heroes.

Or anyone in that union crowd who cheered for Bush the other day....

[roughsatori]

5. Here you go:

Cognitive Dissonance Theory: Proposed by Festinger, the cognitive dissonance theory asserts that people often have two conflicting or inconsistent cognitions which produce a state of tension or discomfort (also known as "dissonance"). People are then motivated to reduce the dissonance, often in the easiest manner possible. For example, if you are a pacifist, but punched someone, there is inconsistency -- you think you should be passive, but you became angry enough to punch someone -- which would likely produce tension (you would feel discomfort from this - "how could I do this" ..." I don't believe in violence" ...etc.). You may reduce this tension by claiming that you don't believe in violence, EXCEPT in certain circumstances, like this one! In Festinger's classic study of dissonance, people who had engaged in a boring task for along period of time had to tell the next participant who was going to engage in the same task that it was actually a lot of fun (dissonance = telling a lie, but most people do not view themselves as liars). Participants were either paid $1 or $20 for engaging in the boring task. It turned out that people who were paid $1 told the biggest lies - they said the task was great, so much fun, etc...while the people paid $20 said it wasn't so great. Why? How can someone who just did a boring task for along time, and got paid so little for doing it, tell someone else how much fun it was? They change their attitude to actually believe that they DID enjoy the task. The people who received $20 didn't have to justify anything - the task was boring, but you get paid $20, so who cares. There is little or no dissonance in the $20 situation.
http://www.alleydog.com/glossary/definition.cfm?term=Cognitive%20Dissonance%20Theory

[XNASA]

6. Resisting to relearn something that you think you already know.

Kind of like if you believe the earth is flat, you might resist learning that it's really round, even if there is proof that it is, in fact, round.

:shrug:

[imhotep]

7. a good example is

being anti-war and then supporting Kerry or Clark.

[webDude]

8. got your first assignment of the semester, eh? Here is an example:

You first meet someone and the relationship starts off as just friends. You realize that she is REALLY something, your "soulmate", if you will. You fall MADLY in love with her, she is also your best friend.

She does not feel the same way, romantically, about you, yet you are also HER best friend.

So, in your cognitive mind there is the dissonance of your feelings about your best friend, whom you don't want to lose, and the romantic feelings with the same person, which are not returned. For the romantic part, you want to leave, because the pain is great. However, she is also your best friend, a great asset, which you do not want to leave.

The two ways that you feel about that person are in conflict, and they try to resolve themselves. They are in dissonance. Theory says that they will resolve, eventually. Some advice in the meantime, if you find yourself in this situation, do not drive yourself crazy trying to force these feelings to resolve. Some times you will just throw your hands up and admit that you feel both ways.

From personal experience? NAH!

[AlienGirl]

9. Interrobang has the best definition of it!

It's like when you eat a butter-popcorn-falvor Jelly Belly. Your sense of taste is telling you it's buttered popcorn, but your sense of touch is telling you it's a gooey jellybean.

Personally, I often enjoy cognitive dissonance, but most people find it highly uncomfortable and disconcerting.

Tucker

[nuxvomica]

10. This what I learned in Sociology I

Cognitive dissonance occurs when the individual is in a situation that is in conflict with their beliefs. The individual either chooses one of the conflicting beliefs or goes nuts. For example, you have a job that requires you to do something like sell mink stoles but you are a member of PETA. You need the job but it conflicts with your beliefs. What do you do? If you stay, you may drop out of PETA, or you could live in a state of constant CD until you find a better job. Or you drink.

[ikojo]

12. I understand!!!

I work for an insurance company but totally believe in national healthcare for all regardless of ability to pay....

Trust me I am often at odds with what I am forced to do at work...but I need to eat and it pays well.

:shrug:

[tjdee]

11. Steve from Blue's Clues talks about this.

He's releasing an adult album (worked with the Flaming Lips guy, and everything), but he knows everyone thinks of him as the Blue's Clues guy (which he is no longer) and will feel weird about it.

http://www.steveswebpage.com/cognitive_dissonance.php

[Cheswick2.0]

13. It when you really "get" Sondheim

.

[leftofthedial]

14. Yes I can't