The Motivating Effect of Cognitive Dissonance
This article was not easy to understand. I am not exactly sure how to explain what cognitive dissonance is. According to the author, “dissonance relation exists between two things which occur together, if, in some way, they do not belong together or fit together.” The experiment about a flood that would overwhelm the world was interesting though. It was odd that these people kept convincing themselves that a flying saucer was going to pick them up. It was even more interesting that while the people were in a group there hope was stronger than if they were alone. In conclusion, “if two cognitions are dissonant with each other there will be some tendency for the person to attempt to change one of them so that they do fit together, thus reducing or eliminating the dissonance.”
Like you I found the experiments about the flying saucer and flood very interesting and also mind boggling. Through this example and the hunger/food example I can conclude was cognitive dissonance is, but I still cannot put it into my own words.
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