What is a real life example of cognitive dissonance?

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asked Dec 27, 2024 in Mental Health by shadesbreath (700 points)
What is a real life example of cognitive dissonance?

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answered Dec 29, 2024 by 15thgear (33,450 points)
A real life example of cognitive dissonance is that you want to be healthy but you don't eat a nutritious diet or exercise regularly.

As a result of this you feel guilty or you realize that smoking is bad for your health but you smoke anyway.

The four types of cognitive dissonance are belief disconfirmation, induced compliance, post decisional and effort justification.

Post decisional dissonance is when a person experiences an uncomfortable feeling after they make a difficult decision, especially between two equally attractive options.

Effort justification is when a person puts a lot of effort into something that does not turn out as expected.

To justify the effort the person may convince themselves that the outcome was worth it.

Induced compliance is when someone is forced to act in a way that conflicts with their beliefs.

And belief disconfirmation is when new information contradicts and existing belief such as if you believe in a diet and then read a study which disproves it.

An example of cognitive dissonance is that you want to be healthy but you don't eat a nutritious diet or exercise regularly.

As a result of this you feel guilty or you realize that smoking is bad for your health but you smoke anyway.

Cognitive dissonance is the psychological state of discomfort which occurs when someone holds conflicting values, beliefs or attitudes.

Cognitive dissonance can cause someone to feel conflicted or uneasy and can lead to the person trying to justify or change their actions or beliefs.

Signs of cognitive dissonance include.

Trying to rationalize or justify a decision or action that they've taken.

Being aware of conflicting views or desires without knowing what to do with them.

Feeling confused or conflicted about a topic.

And feeling uncomfortable before doing something or making a decision.

To reduce comfort from cognitive dissonance some people may change their behavior, justify or ignore the conflicting information and adopt new beliefs or attitudes or behaviors.

Cognitive dissonance can cause a feeling of discomfort which can motivate people to try and feel better.

People with cognitive dissonance may do this through defense mechanisms like avoidance.

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