Leon
Festinger (1919 - 1989)
Cognitive Dissonance
Biography
Leon Festinger was born in New York City in 1919. He earned
a bachelors degree in psychology from the City College of
New York, and then earned his Ph.D. under Kurt Lewin from the State University
of Iowa in 1942. He taught at several universities,
but spent most time at Stanford University from 1955
to 1968. In 1968 he joined the New School for Social
Research where Wertheimer had worked twenty years
earlier. He remained there until his death in 1989.
Lewin's topographical psychology models inspired
Festinger to work with experiments on tension as a
motivator of behavior, and this led to his theory of
cognitive dissonance.
Theory
Cognitive dissonance is a motivational state caused by
tension among competing goals, concepts, perceptions,
beliefs, values, ideas or desires. The tension can vary as
a function of the importance of the issue in the person's
life, and the degree if inconsistency between competing
goals or needs. The tension generates a "drive state" in
which the individual feels a need to settle the dissonance.
In order to diminish the tension, the person must make the
dissonant cognitive elements consistent or compatible, or
by attenuating the importance of the dissonant elements.
Experiences of cognitive dissonance are relevant to
decision making and problem solving, as there is frequently
competition between choices or solutions.
Dissonance is increased by higher numbers of dissonant
beliefs, and by the importance attached to the beliefs.
Dissonance can be reduced by diminishing the importance of
the dissonant beliefs, by adding beliefs that support
congruent beliefs and disprove or outweigh dissonant
beliefs, and by changing dissonant beliefs so they are no
longer dissonant. Selective exposure is the tendency to
avoid information that is inconsistent with a person's
attitudes and beliefs. Post-decision dissonance is tension
produced after making a decision. Buyer's remorse is an
example.
Learning Theory
Bibliography
Sahakian, 1976
Kearsley, G. (n.d.)
