Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Reducing Dissonance• Two ways:• Behavioral• Compartmentalization (“divide your brain”)• Take action (quit job, break up, etc.)• Communicative and non-communicative• Attitudinal• Reduce importance or number of dissonant beliefs• Add to or boost importance of consonant beliefs• Eliminate the dissonance in some way– (Projection, denial, avoidance, wishful thinking)9