persuasion The Theory of Cognitive Dissonance Leon Festinger formulated the cognitive dissonance theory in 1957 at Stanford University. He asserted, "When attitudes conflict with actions, attitudes or beliefs, we are uncomfortable and motivated to try to change." Festinger s theory sets the foundation for the Law of Dissonance, one of the twelve laws of Maximum Influence. The Law of Dissonance states that people will naturally act in a manner that is consistent with their cognitions (beliefs, attitudes, and values). There u r.f>nnle behave in a manner that is inconsistent with these cogni fore, wnen peuit ns they find themselves in a state of discomfort. In such an nco'mfortable state, they will naturally be inclined to adjust their behaviors attitudes to regain mental and emotional consistency. When our beliefs, attitudes, and actions mesh, we live harmoniously. When they don't, we feel dissonance at some level-that is, we feel awkward, uncomfortable, unsettled, disturbed, upset, nervous, or confused. In order to eliminate or reduce such tension, we will do everything possible to change our attitudes and behavior, even if it means doing something we don't want to do. Imagine that there is a big rubber band inside you. When dissonance is present, the rubber band begins to stretch. As long as the dissonance exists, the band stretches tighter and tighter. You've got to take action before it reaches a breaking point and snaps. The motivation to reduce the tension is what causes us to change; we will do everything in our power to get back in balance. We seek psychoemotional stasis at all times, much like we experience the everpresent, driving need for food and water to satisfy our physical being. Methods of Protecting Mental Consistency When we feel cognitive dissonance, we have to find a way to deal with the psychological tension. We have an arsenal of tools at our disposal to help us return to cognitive consistency. The following list outlines different ways people seek to reduce dissonance. Denial-To shut out the dissonance, you deny there is a problem. You "do this either by ignoring or demeaning the source of the information. You might also deliberately misperceive the confronting position. Modification-You change your existing cognitions to achieve consistency. Most of the time this involves admitting you were wrong and making changes to remedy your errors. B Reframing-You change your understanding or interpretation of the meaning. This leads you to either modify your own thinking or devalue the miportance of the whole matter, considering it unimportant altogether. Search-You are determined to find a flaw in the other side's position, to discredit the source, and to seek social or evidentiary support for your own viewpoint. You might attempt to convince the source (if available) of error. You might also try to convince others you did the right thing. Separation-You separate the attitudes that are in conflict. persuasion