Download Derogate the unchosen alternative

Jinhyon Kwon & Angel Jang
Developed in 1957
 Leon Festinger
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(May 8, 1919 – Feb 11, 1989)
◦ Ph.D in Psychology (Iowa State)
◦ Career: U of Rochester, MIT, U of
Michigan, U of Minnesota,
Stanford, and New School of
Social Research
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Defined as “A negative, unpleasant
state that occurs whenever a person
holds two cognitions that are
psychologically inconsistent”
(Aronson, 1968, p.6)
Cognition
A
Discord
Incongruity
Strife
Cognitive Dissonance
Cognition
B
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holds two clearly incongruent thoughts
freely performs a behavior that is
inconsistent with an attitude
makes a decision that rules out a desirable
alternative
expends effort to participate in what turns
out to be a less than ideal activity
in general is unable to find sufficient
psychological justification for an attitude or
behavior he or she adopts
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The existence of dissonance, being
psychologically uncomfortable, will motivate
the person to try to reduce the dissonance
and achieve consonance.
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When dissonance is present, in addition to
trying to reduce it, the person will actively
avoid situations and information which
would likely increase the dissonance.
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Fraternity
Medical students
Military service obligation
Wars in Iraq and Vietnam
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Change your attitude
Add consonant cognitions
Derogate the unchosen alternative
Spread apart the alternatives
Alter the importance of the cognitive elements
Suppress thoughts
Communicate
Alter the behavior. Leave.
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Suppose that you bought a new car.
However, you are quite disappointed with the
quality of it even though you spent a lot of
money. How can you reduce your cognitive
dissonance, using the techniques just
introduced?
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What happens if ….
You are a
smoker
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Anti-smoking on
campus
Under dissonance situations, individuals would
actually come to evaluate the proposal favorably.
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According to the cognitive dissonance
theory, what could be the best way to
make a smoker quit smoking?
Unpleasant consequences &
responsibility
 Need for impression management
 Self-concept
 Self-perception
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Make a commitment public
 Encourage people to publicly advocate
a position with which they disagree
 Confront people with their own
hypocrisy
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Emphasizes self-persuasion as the
central role for attitude change
1. Provokes inconsistencies in individuals
2. Dissonance serves as an engine that
motives attitude change
Follow up services after the purchace
 Thank you letters/calls and DMs
 Discount offers
 Advertisements empathizing the quality
of the product after purchase
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 Developed
 Fritz
in 1958
Heider
(February 18, 1896–January 2, 1988)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Heider
When tension caused by imbalance
arises in the mind of the individual,
then the individual is likely to exercise
some mental and physical effort to
eliminate the tension
Woodside. & Chebat.(2001)
Let P be a person with a positive or negative relation to
another person O and an object X (which can also be a
person Q), and P perceives the relation between O and
X.
Heider (1985)
Unit (Cognition):
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Related-one entities belong to other
Unrelated- the fact that the two entities are segregated
Sentiment (Affection):
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Positive- two entities have positive feeling towards each other
Negative- two entities have negative feeling towards each other
If I dislike what I own [a negative
sentiment toward an object belonging (U)
to a person] I may either begin to like it
(change in sentiment) or sell it (change in
unit relations) Heider, (1958, P.209)
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Balance theory proposes that there are three ways
in which a person can feel balance
First the source and receiver can both dislike something and
at the same time like each other, so they experience comfort
and balance.
Second, the source and receiver can have a positive attitude
toward an object or idea and display positive feelings toward
one another, therefore experiencing comfort and balance.
Third, the source and the receiver can disagree about an idea
or object and also dislike each other, therefore experiencing
comfort because they know that they disagree about the
values of certain objects or ideas.
Balance theory states that when
tensions arise between or inside
people, they attempt to reduce these
tensions through self-persuasion or
trying to persuade others in order to
attitude change.
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One consistent problem (makes the theory only a
starting point)
Does not predict how imbalance will be resolved.
Does not include degree of liking, only direction
(plus or minus, favorable or unfavorable, like or
dislike)
It assumes all people will create the same amount
of imbalance.
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Job satisfaction, a problem we might have in the
future of our life. Apply Balance Theory in the
relationship between friendship at work to reach
balance situation.
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Harmon-Jones, E., & Harmon-Jones, C. (2008). Cognitive dissonance theory:
an update with a focus on the action-based model. Handbook of Motivation
Science. Edited by Shah, J.Y., & Gardner, W.L. The Guilford Press, NY, 71-81.
Heider, F.(1985). The psychology of interpersonal relations. New Yourk: Wiley.
Lee, H. and Park, H. , (2006) Exploration of the Relationship Between
Friendship at Work and Job Satisfaction: An Application of Balance Theory.
Mohazab, F., & Feger, H. (1985). An extension of Heiderian balance theory for
quantified data. European Journal of Social Psychology, Vol. 15, 147-165.
Perloff, R.M. (2010). The dynamics of persuasion: communication and attitudes
in the 21st century. (4th ed). New York, NY. Routledge.
Waters, R.D. (2009). Examining the role of cognitive dissonance in crisis
fundraising. Public Relations Review, 35(2009), 139-143.
Woodside, A.G., & Chebat, J. (2001). Updating Heider’s balance theory in
consumer behavior: a jewish couple buys a German car and additional buyingconsuming transformation stories. Psychology & Marketing, 18(5), 475-495.
http://www.cios.org/encyclopedia/persuasion/Ccongruity_theory_2heiders.htm
http://www.uky.edu/~drlane/capstone/persuasion/bal.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balance_theory