Keech, reported receiving messages from extraterrestrial aliens that the world would end in a great flood on a specific date. The magnitude of dissonance between one cognitive element and the remainder of the persons cognitions depends on the number and importance of cognitions that are consonant and dissonant with the one in question. According to festinger, we hold many cognitions about the world and ourselves. Festinger carlsmith 1959 pdf united pdf comunication. An introduction to cognitive dissonance theory and an. It is also a prime example of how creative thinking and problem solving skills can come together to produce work that changes the way people look at questions for good. Cognitive theories of motivation rely on your thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes to explain your motivation. When there is an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors dissonance, something must change to eliminate the dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is the negative feeling that results from conflicting beliefs and behaviors. Cognitive dissonance theoryleon festinger 1957situation in which two cognitions contradict each otherproduces uncomfortable arousal because people like consistency. He received his bachelors degree from city college of new york and went on to iowa state university for his masters degree and his ph. Cognitive dissonance theory leon festinger 1957 pdf.
The original version of the theory leon festinger formulated the original theory of cognitive dissonance in the mid1950s, and the first formal and complete presentation of the theory appeared in 1957. One key aspect of cognitive dissonance theory is that individuals experience a mental discomfort after taking actions that appear to be in con. In this paper, we are primarily interested in festingers theory as one of a diverse range of theories of human communication. Festingers theory of cognitive dissonance springerlink. Dissonance spring is an international small group meeting for researchers interested in cognitive conflict models with a focus on cognitive dissonance theory, to be held in may 2020.
Leon festinger 8 may 1919 11 february 1989 was an american social psychologist, perhaps best known for cognitive dissonance and social comparison theory. Leon festinger formulated the original theory of cognitive dissonance in the mid1950s, and the first formal and complete presentation of the theory appeared in 1957. This is known as the principle of cognitive consistency. The study cognitive dissonance is a phenomenon studied by leon festinger most famously in his 1954 study involving 71 male students from stanford university. Leon festingers theory of cognitive dissonance networked. In this chapter, the main results of a structuralist analysis of festingers theory of cognitive dissonance and of a typical dissonance experiment are presented and some methodological problems are discusssed from a structuralist point of view.
With a growing interest in purely cognitive processes such as information processes, the popularity of dissonance theory declined. Ronis ohio state university recent revisions of cognitive dissonance theory no longer encompass some of the important examples, data, and hypotheses that were part of festingers original statement. Festingers 1957 cognitive dissonance theory suggests that we have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and beliefs in harmony and avoid disharmony dissonance. A theory of cognitive dissonance by festinger, leon, 19191989. The theory of cognitive dissonance festinger, 1957 made a significant mark in. A transparadigm theoretical synthesis of cognitive dissonance. Full text of festingerrieckenschachterwhenprophecy. Much may be explained by leon festingers cognitive dissonance theory, whereby people tend to search for justifications to reduce the tension created by holding two inconsistent attitudes or performing an act. Cognitive dissonance, describes how leon festinger and his colleagues arrived at. Marion keech, had mysteriously been given messages in her house in the form. A theory of cognitive dissonance by leon festinger, 1962, stanford university press edition. Cognitive dissonance is a theory developed by 20th century social psychologist leon festinger. Leon festinger was interested in science at a young age, and decided to pursue a career in psychology.
The theory of cognitive dissonance festinger, 1957 is one of the most frequently applied and cited theories in social psychology cooper, 2012. Leon festinger was the first psychologist to study cognitive dissonance around the 1950s, and his works, such as books and experiments, helped to shed light on the ways in which humans act to decrease cognitive dissonance. In a time of abundant information, the risk of picking up only those data that support our previous convictions is always there. The year i joined the bahai faith the social psychologist leon festinger received the distinguished scientist award of the american psychological association. The distressing aversive mental state termed cognitive dissonance is therefore conceptualized as an aversive drive. A social and psychological study of a modern group that predicted the end of the world university of minnesota press. In general, social psychologists, always looking for the next great theory, seemed to have shelved this book and its concepts within a couple of decades after it came out in 1957 see leon festingers comments 30 years later in appendix b of cognitive dissonance progress on a. Before leon fessinger created experiments in 1957 he and his colleagues henry riecken and stanley schachter were interested in conditions under which disconfirmation of beliefs leads to increased conviction.
Originally published in the journal of abnormal and social psychology in 1959, cognitive consequences of forced compliance by leon festinger and james carlsmith was the first of numerous studies to corroborate the theory of cognitive dissonance. In the rest of the book many behavioural facts supporting the theory are put forward. They included the theory of cognitive dissonance developed by leon festinger in the 1950s. In 1959, 71 students in an introductory course at stanford university participated in an experiment that was advertised as dealing with. It refers to feelings of discomfort that occur when our. That brings us to the next point, namely the categorization of cognitive dissonance theory. In a theory of cognitive dissonance 1957, leon festinger proposed that human beings strive for internal psychological consistency to function mentally in the real world. Leon festinger 1957 proposed cognitive dissonance theory, which states that a powerful motive to maintain cognitive consistency can give rise to irrational and sometimes maladaptive behavior. The advances in the history of cognitive dissonance theory. Festingers original 1957 formulation of dissonance theory. Cognitive dissonance theory has been known to play out in several ways. The most famous and widely cited of these theories is cognitive dissonance cdt. Cognitivedissonancetheory after50yearsofdevelopment. Almost half a century ago social psychologist leon festinger developed the cognitive dissonance theory festinger, 1957.
The theory of dissonance is here applied to the problem of why partial reward, delay of reward, and effort expenditure during training result in increased resistance to extinction. Leon festinger s 1957 a theory of cognitive dissonance is a key text in the history of psychology one that made its author one of the most influential social psychologists of his time. Publication date 1962 topics adaptability psychology, dissonance cognitive, cognitieve dissonantie. The impact of cognitive dissonance theory continued from the late 1950s to the mid1970s. All books are in clear copy here, and all files are secure so dont worry about it. But even before festinger was the greek fabulist aesop. Full text of festingerrieckenschachterwhenprophecyfails1956. Here are presented all the main aspects of the theory. Cognitive dissonance is defined by influential psychologist leon festinger as an antecedent condition which leads to activity oriented toward dissonance reduction festinger, 1957, p.
He was also elected fellow of the american academy of arts and sciences in that year. Leon festinger developed the cognitive dissonance theory festinger, 1957 dissonance occurs when a person perceives a logical inconsistency in their beliefs, when one idea implies the opposite of another. Leon festinger, an introduction to the theory of cognitive. Cognitive dissonance theory has been used to explain why. The late leon festinger molded the original theory of cognitive dissonance from his interest in peoples susceptibility to field forces lewin, 1951, including. Leon festinger, born may 8, 1919, brooklyn, new york, u. Download cognitive dissonance theory leon festinger 1957 book pdf free download link or read online here in pdf. A theory of cognitive dissonance download pdfepub ebook. Inconsistency among beliefs or behaviors will cause an uncomfortable psychological tension. You have to choose only 1, causing you cognitive dissonance. This work is a clearly stated theory on how humans think, decide, and defend their decisions. Festinger theorized that, when an individual holds two or more elements of knowledge that are relevant to each other but inconsistent with one another,astate of. Read online cognitive dissonance theory leon festinger 1957 book pdf free download link book now.
This article was originally published in the encyclopedia. Individuals then change their attitudes to conform more closely with their actions,leading to an important source of attitude formation and change. When there is an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors dissonance, something must change to eliminate the. Inasmuch as festingers theory is concerned with attitude change and attempts to discern how persuasive messages are processed in the minds of listeners, there is no doubt that it may be regarded as a communication theory. While this seems cut and dry, the theory expands far beyond the constraints of the definition. Cognitive dissonance 1 theory paper cognitive dissonance.
However, the dwindling interest in dissonance theory did not have a long run. The original statement of cognitive dissonance theory festinger, 1957 proposed. How did leon festinger discovered cognitive dissonance. Festinger 1957 argued, the social group is a source of cognitive dissonance as well as. His theories and research are credited with renouncing the previously dominant behaviorist view of social psychology by demonstrating the inadequacy of stimulusresponse conditioning accounts of human behavior. Cognitive dissonance theory shares much in common with other perspectives that. Leon festinger and james carlsmith proposed the term cognitive dissonance which is every individual has his or her festinger, l.
Conflict, decision and dissonance by leon festinger. This is chapter one of leon festinger, a theory of cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance theory, negative arousal, guilt. The theory of cognitive dissonance festinger, 1957. Leon festinger leon festinger cognitive dissonance. According to cognitive dissonance theory,an individual experiences a mental discomfort after taking an action that seems to be in con. Festingers 1957 cognitive dissonance theory suggests that we have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and behavior in harmony and avoid disharmony or dissonance. Leon festingers theory of cognitive dissonance has been widely recognized for its important and influential concepts in areas of motivation and social psychology.
1479 1310 494 539 637 538 680 935 1346 217 1545 1225 933 302 556 1034 1321 185 1459 975 132 569 819 242 930 719 1371 1033 1427 1085 1163 568 507 213 1555 1122 1380 117 879 467 861 540 1264 1292