Cognitive Dissonance Paper
Introduction
The words Cognitive Dissonance were fascinatingly interesting; therefore more research went into the origin of these two words. Both words are Middle English, which was the English in use from 12th to 15th centuries and both used in the 15th century [ (Merriam-Webster, 2011) ]. Cognitive is an adjective meaning, there is physical activity involving the mind; be it: thinking, reasoning or remembering. Dissonance is a noun meaning, when there is a tug-of- war between one’s actions and one’s mind [ (Merriam-Webster, 2011) ].This paper will explore that tug-of-war of the mind (conscious) and actions (subconscious) and how one can and will justify behavior that a direct dissension from his or her values, beliefs, attitudes and morals. Even knowing the action is wrong, the justification somehow makes it right enough to proceed with the deception.
Describe the situation (Capitalize “S” for consistency) Alice is in her mid-twenties, has a great job, a great boyfriend, and a really nice apartment right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city. All was great until Alice’s boyfriend, Mark, decides not to show up to pick her up for their planned day trip. Worried, Alice drives to his house to make sure he’s alright. She knocks on the door, and a woman, also in her mid-twenties, answers. Upon introducing herself, Alice is hit with a devastating reality: this woman is her boyfriend’s long term girlfriend. All at once Alice had no idea who her boyfriend of nine months was. Too devastated to fight or question, and too angry to listen to his excuses, Alice drives home, crawls into bed, and sleeps straight through the weekend. “Monday morning,” she says to herself, “I will put this all away and go to work like normal.” But, when Monday rolls around, she can barely get out of bed. So, Alice does something beyond her realm of morality: she calls in sick when she really isn’t ill. This is something that is becoming more and more common in the workplace.
The words Cognitive Dissonance were fascinatingly interesting; therefore more research went into the origin of these two words. Both words are Middle English, which was the English in use from 12th to 15th centuries and both used in the 15th century [ (Merriam-Webster, 2011) ]. Cognitive is an adjective meaning, there is physical activity involving the mind; be it: thinking, reasoning or remembering. Dissonance is a noun meaning, when there is a tug-of- war between one’s actions and one’s mind [ (Merriam-Webster, 2011) ].This paper will explore that tug-of-war of the mind (conscious) and actions (subconscious) and how one can and will justify behavior that a direct dissension from his or her values, beliefs, attitudes and morals. Even knowing the action is wrong, the justification somehow makes it right enough to proceed with the deception.
Describe the situation (Capitalize “S” for consistency) Alice is in her mid-twenties, has a great job, a great boyfriend, and a really nice apartment right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city. All was great until Alice’s boyfriend, Mark, decides not to show up to pick her up for their planned day trip. Worried, Alice drives to his house to make sure he’s alright. She knocks on the door, and a woman, also in her mid-twenties, answers. Upon introducing herself, Alice is hit with a devastating reality: this woman is her boyfriend’s long term girlfriend. All at once Alice had no idea who her boyfriend of nine months was. Too devastated to fight or question, and too angry to listen to his excuses, Alice drives home, crawls into bed, and sleeps straight through the weekend. “Monday morning,” she says to herself, “I will put this all away and go to work like normal.” But, when Monday rolls around, she can barely get out of bed. So, Alice does something beyond her realm of morality: she calls in sick when she really isn’t ill. This is something that is becoming more and more common in the workplace.
References: Merriam-Webster. (2011). Merirriam-Webster. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from Merriam-Webster: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ Festinger, L. (1957). Cognitive Dissonance Theory. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. – should be before “M” Myers, D. G. (2006). Chapter 4 – Behavior and attitudes. Retrieved from http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0070952027/363504/Ch04_Myers3Ce.pdf ThinkExist.com Quotations. (2010). Spencer Johnson. Retrieved March 24, 2011, from ThinkExist.com Quotations: http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/spencer_johnson/