Cognitive Dissonance: Finding the Right Mental Balance
What to do to cope with thought inconsistencies
It’s been two weeks since the last time I posted something about cognitive development.
The last two weeks have been quite a lot. A lot of things were going on; however, I urged myself to slow things down.
As I was reflecting, I came across a quite interesting cognitive theory, which is the “Theory of Cognitive Dissonance,” introduced by Leon Festinger—an American social psychologist who was also famous for Social Comparison Theory (which I think is self-explanatory enough :)).
Cognitive dissonance theory greatly involves thoughts and beliefs and is believed to have a huge impact on decision-making. Therefore, I think it may be worth dissecting a bit.
Without further ado, let’s go!
Base Knowledge: Theory of Cognitive Dissonance
If you look “dissonance” up in the dictionary to find a literal meaning of the word, here it is. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, dissonance is “a combination of sounds or musical notes that are not pleasant when heard together.”
From this, you may figure out what this theory explains. When it comes to cognition, there are thoughts, meaning that in this case, the theory of cognitive dissonance describes a phenomenon: the state of mind when thoughts are up against each other, leading to inconsistencies. In other words, it’s like your mind is divided into each part, one of which is contradictory to the other, making you feel frustrated and distressed.
For example, you’re in “two” minds (no pun intended), where on one hand, you want to believe you’re good enough, but on the other hand, the other mind tells you that you’re worth nothing.
When there are inconsistencies, your reaction is to adjust your ideas for consistency. Therefore, even if something irrational happens, but you can think in a way that it makes sense, then you can still easily believe it. This theory somehow gives us an answer to how there are conspiracy theories going around in our daily lives.
In other words, we can say that it extends to many social contexts, as long as they involve your beliefs; for instance, in religious cults.
Indeed, Leon Festinger actually did research on a doomsday cult to illustrate how individuals cope with dissonance. Here’s what it was about:
“In the 1950s, social psychologist Leon Festinger and his colleagues infiltrated a doomsday cult in Chicago, known as the Seekers, led by a woman named Marion Keech. The group believed that a catastrophic flood would cleanse the earth on December 21, 1954, and that only they would be saved by extraterrestrial beings known as "the Guardians."
Two main key findings on the cult members’ coping mechanisms include:
Dissonance Reduction: After the predicted day of the disaster passed without incident, rather than abandoning their beliefs, cult members rationalized their experience. They claimed their faith and their prayers had saved humanity from destruction. This response illustrated how people reinforce their beliefs, even in the face of disconfirming evidence.
Recruitment and Evangelism: Surprisingly, after the failed doomsday prediction, the cult did not dissipate, though there were members who decided to leave the cult. Along with that, they became more fervent, intensively recruiting new members and spreading their beliefs as a means of reaffirming their commitment to the group's ideology.
Application in Reality: Think About This When You’re Feeling Lost
No matter what inner conflicts you’re facing are, it is easy to feel like you’re stuck in a loop of self-doubt. It can be career, relationships, self-identities, etc. I believe being aware of cognitive dissonance and what you can do about it may help you a bit in navigating through such messiness in thoughts.
This might seem a bit random, but I can’t help noticing how resolving cognitive dissonance aligns with stoicism. -.- Both emphasize focusing on what you can control—your thoughts.
Anyway, I picked the above example to specify the action items a bit. Hope you find them helpful.
In case you want to believe you’re good enough, but on the other hand, the other mind tells you that you’re worth nothing. Here’s what you can take into account:
1. Change Beliefs or Attitudes
If you’re caught between believing you’re “not good enough” and wanting to feel like you are, start by questioning the belief that’s dragging you down. Is it really true? What evidence do you have? Replace it with something kinder and truer, like, “I’ve handled tough things before, so I can do it again.”
2. Change Actions
Sometimes your behaviors don’t back up the story you want to tell yourself. You want to be like this, but you do nothing about it. That’s why if you’re feeling selfless, you can think about some small actions you can take, like setting boundaries or celebrating even the tiniest victories.
3. Add New Cognition
Bring in reminders that counter such negative thoughts. Think about things you’ve achieved or compliments you’ve received—anything that builds a stronger case for your worth. These “mental sticky notes” can soften the impact of self-doubt.
It’s like you add one more thought to your self-narrative. =)
4. Minimize Importance
Not every negative thought deserves to be all over your mind. They can still be there, but not necessarily. If you’re beating yourself up over a slip-up, try reframing it. By shrinking the importance of those thoughts, you give yourself room to breathe.
At its heart, resolving cognitive dissonance is about stepping into your own corner. It’s a way of reminding yourself that you’re worth the effort, the reflection, and the care. And truthfully, you always have been.
Conclusion
I wouldn’t have thought this blog would be published on the last day of 2024. However, accidentally posting a blog about cognitive dissonance on such a day can be a reminder for me (and you) to sit down a bit and reflect on the whole year of what dissonance we’ve been coping with :‘)))
So, Imma go to do it; you can stay here and read the blog if you insist, haha ^v^
Anyway, tomorrow will be the first day of 2025. I wish you all an explosive starting point to set the bar for the worthwhile year ahead. ^0^