We all reach a point where what we believe gets challenged, or our behavior drifts from what we believe in. For example, before a general election, someone might deeply admire one candidate and intensely dislike another. They’ll sing praises about their preferred candidate and sustain the worst attack on the one they dislike. Then, just like that, the two candidates reconcile with a simple handshake. Meanwhile, their followers are left disillusioned, unsure of what to say moving forward. Do they still support their candidate? Do they now like the former “enemy”? Cognitive chaos sets in.
This tension is explained by Cognitive Dissonance Theory, a communication and psychological theory that suggests psychological discomfort (dissonance) arises when a person’s behavior is inconsistent with their beliefs or values. This discomfort then motivates individuals to reduce the inconsistency and restore harmony, either by changing their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors (Festinger, 1957).
There are three common ways people cope with cognitive dissonance:
- Changing one or more elements involved in the inconsistency (e.g., shifting opinions to match behavior),
- Adding new elements to reduce the inconsistency (e.g., finding new reasons to support the behavior), and
- Reducing the importance of the conflicting elements (e.g., convincing yourself that a previously important belief doesn’t matter so much after all) (Harmon-Jones & Mills, 2019).
When the level of dissonance rises, so does the pressure to reduce it. The brain simply can’t stand the discomfort, so it pushes for change. Learners, for instance, strive to maintain consistency among their beliefs, values, and actions. When they encounter inconsistencies, they may adjust their behavior or beliefs to restore internal balance (Cooper, 2007).
In trying to deal with dissonance, I suggest that first, try anchoring yourself in values that are grounded in truth and the common good. That way, you won’t find yourself justifying glaring red flags as harmless shades of pink. But when dissonance creeps in because of a behavior change, just bow to the internal pressure—adjust your behavior to match your beliefs. Otherwise, you’ll end up in a prolonged mental tug-of-war, adding all sorts of new excuses to justify your defiance or downgrading the importance of your core beliefs.
Of course, sometimes the real issue is the belief itself. Maybe it was never grounded in truth—just hot air. In that case, it’s okay to let it go. Growth often begins with the courage to admit we were wrong.
References
Cooper, J. (2007). Cognitive dissonance: Fifty years of a classic theory. SAGE Publications.
Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford University Press.
Harmon-Jones, E., & Mills, J. (Eds.). (2019). Cognitive dissonance: Reexamining a pivotal theory in psychology (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association.