Thought Editing : Cognitive Dissonance

 

 "The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make" -

Colossians 3:15 (GNT)

The cognitive dissonance theory suggests that we are driven to maintain harmony among our beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors. When we experience conflict in our thoughts, emotions, and actions, it causes significant inner turmoil, and we feel a strong urge to resolve it to alleviate this tension. Consequently, to restore this harmony, we often justify our choices, alter our beliefs to match our actions, or persuade ourselves that the inconsistency is insignificant, all in an attempt to alleviate the worry and stress caused by cognitive dissonance.

One area where cognitive dissonance commonly arises is in decision-making. To illustrate this, consider someone who relies on their job to support their parents but wants to attend college because they do not find their current job intellectually stimulating. However, the financial burden of going to college is overwhelming. This inner conflict causes cognitive dissonance. To cope with this tension, the person convinces himself and others that education and intellectual challenge are unimportant. We sometimes use defense mechanisms to distort reality and alleviate anxiety. In this case, the distortion hides the person's genuine desire to attend college and the fact that they are bothered by the lack of intellectual stimulation.

When people are committed to losing weight, they may experience cognitive dissonance as they try to justify cheating when tempted by a doughnut, a slice of their favorite cake, or maybe a soda. Perhaps they've thought, "It's just one doughnut," or "I will compensate by eating less tomorrow," but deep down, they know that's unlikely.

Another example is knowing that certain things, like smoking and drinking too much, are bad for your health, but you still do them. You rationalize your behavior by saying you have a lot of stress. However, despite our attempts to rationalize them, these actions often fail to effectively relieve the tension of our internal conflict (dissonance) when our actions and beliefs are at odds. 

How do you know you are experiencing cognitive dissonance? When you have feelings of discomfort before decision-making, guilt over past choices, rationalizing behavior or decisions made due to social pressure,  anxiety or frustration when reflecting on specific actions, a tendency to justify opinions or actions even when not challenged to do so.

Contrary to its negative associations, cognitive dissonance can lead to personal growth by alerting us when our actions don't align with our beliefs or plans. Managing cognitive dissonance involves aligning your actions with your values and making thoughtful decisions. Seeking professional help, such as talking with a therapist, can be beneficial if you feel overwhelmed.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog post. I truly hope that you found it helpful and informative.

Ann.

References

Cancino-Montecinos, S., Björklund, F., & Lindholm, T. (2020). A General Model of Dissonance Reduction: Unifying Past Accounts via an Emotion Regulation Perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 11,540081. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.540081

Ford, J.A.K.K. M. (2024). Christian Integration In Counselor Education. Kendall Hunt Publishing.

Neff, M. A., & McMinn, M. R. (2020). Embodying Integration. InterVarsity Press.

Young, M. E. (2020). Learning the Art of Helping: Building Blocks and Techniques (7th ed.). Pearson Education (US).