Oftentimes, people have an explanation for their behavior and tend to rationalize it to make what they are doing seem more acceptable. This is especially true for people who suffer from addiction to drugs and alcohol. However, if a person finds that they have difficulty stopping a behavior or thinking pattern that is causing them distress, they can seek support from a qualified healthcare professional, such as a primary care doctor or therapist. If that same person believes the COVID-19 pandemic is real but refuses to wear a mask, their values and behaviors would contradict each other. Cognitive dissonance can be caused by feeling forced to do something, learning new information, or when faced with a decision between two similar choices.
- When having enough control functions as well as sufficient motivation, however, the individual might elaborate more on the situation despite experiencing rather strong arousal.
- But it can also be a powerful motivator for change, pushing us to resolve these internal conflicts and restore balance.
- This process involves identifying the conflicting beliefs or actions causing discomfort.
- Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the “Everything Psychology Book.”
How Cognitive Dissonance Affects Behavioral Health
For instance, someone who values health but smokes might experience cognitive dissonance, which could prompt them to quit smoking and adopt healthier habits. Understanding what is cognitive dissonance helps highlight its role in initiating change and fostering self-improvement. At Greater Boston Behavioral Health, we recognize the importance of addressing cognitive dissonance through tailored therapies and support systems. From Anger Management Therapy to Anxiety Treatment Programs, our holistic approach helps individuals reconcile conflicting beliefs and regain mental clarity. This guide explores cognitive dissonance, its impact, and how our programs in Boston behavioral health can https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/ketamine-addiction-symptoms-effects-and-treatment/ help.
Returning to the Emotional Component of Dissonance Theory
When cognitive dissonance is resolved, individuals gain clarity and confidence in their choices. This leads to better decision-making and reduces the risk of regret or second-guessing. Persistent cognitive dissonance can contribute cognitive dissonance treatment to or exacerbate mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.
Improved Decision-Making
To help individuals recognize and resolve their inconsistent thoughts and behaviors, ultimately leading to improved mental health and well-being. While exploring what is cognitive dissonance, it is important to note that it can also have positive outcomes. When individuals recognize the dissonance between their actions and beliefs, they may be motivated to make Drug rehabilitation positive changes.
Emotional Regulation Therapy: Effective Techniques for Managing Your Feelings
The analysis revealed that for some individuals, the emotional experience of the dissonant situation was predominantly characterized by either Anger, Anxiety/Fear or Self-consciousness. Other individuals experienced overall negative or overall positive emotions, whereas a considerable portion (almost 20 percent) experienced a mixture of both positive and negative emotions. Lastly, some individuals experienced very low overall levels of emotions (see Table 3). Thus, focusing simply on the total mean score would conduce to misrepresentation of how individuals experienced the dissonant situation. The dissonance experience does not seem to be characterized by one specific emotion, affective state, or pattern of emotions–since people vary in their interpretation and subsequent emotional reaction. When it comes to addiction and substance abuse, cognitive dissonance therapy shines.
Primary Reduction Stage
- However, this may intensify identity conflicts experienced by children in the form of cognitive dissonance, defined as instances when one’s attitudes, beliefs, and/or values contradict (are dissonance) with their behaviors (Cooper, 2019).
- However, this is typically followed by breadcrumbing, where the narcissist provides sporadic and minimal affection or attention, keeping their partner hooked and craving the initial intense love.
- Lastly, if the magnitude of dissonance is rather small and the situation is highly familiar, the reduction will be rather implicit (e.g., an automated distraction response).
- This is common with perfectionism, all-or-nothing thinking, and impossible expectations.
- However, while that may be true, evidence-based scientific research has shown that this disease plays mind games, controlling all aspects of a person’s life, mentally, physically, and socially.
And for victims experiencing cognitive dissonance, this can feel difficult, or even impossible. When the brain releases oxytocin during a bout of cognitive dissonance, instead of the normal happiness it should produce, it heightens anxiety. In a domestic violence victim, this anxiety adds to their low self-worth, which their abuser’s constant devaluation of them has successfully instilled.
For me, this gap, the gap between what is right and what I do, the only way for me to resolve that is through the grace of God and trying hard every day to be humble, willing to change, and as brutally honest with myself as possible. He said that the way he could tell was if they excused their actions, if they had reasons and rationalizations for why they did it. If they did, that indicated they had a sense of guilt that they understood enough to need to cover it up.
However, without pre-measures it is impossible to know whether individuals have moved up or down an attitude scale or attitude-importance scale (in relation to their initial position) during the experiment. Additionally, past researchers have seldom measured people’s self-reported emotional reactions to the dissonant situation. Those few who have done so, have asked individuals to state what they feel “at the moment,” and not what they feel in relation to the dissonant situation (i.e., “to what extent did you experience these emotions while writing the essay?”).