Festinger s seminal 1957 work integrated existing research literature on influence and social communication under his theory of cognitive dissonance. Festinger s theory said that when a person holds contradictory elements in cognition producing an unpleasant state called dissonance the person will work to bring the elements back into agreement or congruence. A theory of cognitive dissonance by leon festinger 1957. Your institution does not have access to this book on jstor.
A theory of cognitive dissonance by festinger leon abebooks. A theory of cognitive dissonance by leon festinger 30jun. The book is not cold and technical like so many other books in this field, on the contrary, its quite engaging. Leon festinger author visit amazons leon festinger page. Cognitive dissonance is that awkward feeling people get when the believe they may not be their reality. The theory of dissonance is here applied to the problem of why partial reward, delay of reward, and effort expenditure during training result in increased resistance to extinction. She attracted a group of followers who left jobs, schools, and spouses and. The theory of dissonance is here applied to the problem of why partial reward, delay of reward, and effort. Leon festinger, an introduction to the theory of cognitive.
To get a good understanding of dissonance i would recommend a theory of cognitive dissonance by leon festinger. Festinger states in a theory of cognitive dissonance, that cognitive dissonance is seen as an antecedent condition which leads to activity oriented toward dissonance reduction just as hunger leads toward activity. His theory, which has been referenced in media often, is thouroughly interesting. Cognitive dissonance is consumed when a person holds two contradictory beliefs and or when having a belief that is unrelated with an action that the person has chosen unreservedly to present oleary, n. Leon festinger introduced cognitive dissonance theory in a 1957 book, a theory of cognitive dissonance. In general, social psychologists, always looking for the next great theory, seemed to have shelved this book and its concepts within a couple of decades after it came out in 1957 see leon festingers comments 30 years later in appendix b of cognitive dissonance progress on a pivotal theory in social psychology edited by eddie harmonjones and judson mills. A theory of cognitive dissonance by leon festinger, 1957, row, peterson edition, in english. Leon festingers theory of cognitive dissonance has been widely recognized for its important and influential concepts in areas of motivation and social.
Cognitive dissonance theory cailey boisvert youtube. Keech, reported receiving messages from extraterrestrial aliens that the world would end in a great flood on a specific date. The theory described in that volume provided the impetus for. Why do we want to justify our decisions, even if they appear to be irrational. Ty book ti a theory of cognitive dissonance au festinger, leon sp 291 cy stanford pb stanford university press py 1957 ur y2 20210407 er.
Leon festinger leon festinger cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance was first introduced by leon festinger, a psychologist. This is chapter one of leon festinger, a theory of cognitive dissonance. In general, social psychologists, always looking for the next great theory, seemed to have shelved this book and its concepts within a couple of decades after it came out in 1957 see leon festinger s comments 30 years later in appendix b of cognitive dissonance progress on a pivotal theory in social. See all formats and editions hide other formats and editions.
Feb 29, 2020 psychologist leon festinger first described the theory of cognitive dissonance in 1957. Cite a theory of cognitive dissonance leon festinger. A theory of cognitive dissonance 0804709114 book cover. According to festinger, cognitive dissonance occurs when peoples thoughts and feelings are inconsistent with their behavior, which results in an uncomfortable, disharmonious feeling.
This edition was published in 1962 by stanford university press in stanford, calif. Leon festinger s theory of cognitive dissonance has been widely recognized for its important and influential concepts in areas of motivation and social psychology. Leon festingers theory of cognitive dissonance has been widely recognized for its important and influential concepts in areas of motivation and social psychology. Stanford university press, 1957 psychology 291 pages. Conflict, decision and dissonance by leon festinger.
An introduction to cognitive dissonance theory and an. This is more like what i had in mind could easily be what leon l. Cognitive dissonance theory has a long history in social psychology oleary, n. An analysis of leon festingers a theory of cognitive dissonance. In a theory of cognitive dissonance 1957, leon festinger proposed that human beings strive for internal psychological consistency to function mentally in the real world. It holds that dissonance is experienced whenever one cognition that a person holds follows from the opposite of at least one other cognition that the person holds. Leon festinger s 1957 a theory of cognitive dissonance is a key text in the history of psychology one that made its author one of the most influential social psychologists of his time. Leon festinger books list of books by author leon festinger.
Cognitive dissonance theory by in advertising, public relations, marketing and consumer behavior, interpersonal communication, psychology, behavioral and social sciencenov. His theories and research are credited with renouncing the previously dominant behaviorist view of social psychology by demonstrating the inadequacy of stimulusresponse conditioning accounts of human behavior. It is also a prime example of how creative thinking and problem solving skills can come together to produce work that changes the way people look at questions. Though both books share an author they do not contain the same quality.
These two concepts are theoretically distinct and the first is now referred to as cognitive inconsistency an introduction to cognitive dissonance theory and. A brief summary of leon festinger s cognitive dissonance theory. The answer lies in cognitive dissonance, the mental discomfort we experience. This book was the result of 15 years of work that began. A person who experiences internal inconsistency tends to become psychologically uncomfortable and is motivated to reduce the cognitive dissonance. A theory of cognitive dissonance by leon, festinger and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Neuware leon festinger s theory of cognitive dissonance has been widely recognized for its important and influential concepts in areas of motivation and social psychology. A great deal of the book deals with procedures of experiments which makes it a rather tedious. In 1957, leon festinger published a book entitled a theory of cognitive dissonance.
Cognitive dissonance was first investigated by leon festinger, arising out of a participant observation study of a cult which believed that the earth was going to be destroyed by a flood, and what happened to its members particularly the really committed ones who had given up their homes and jobs to work for the cult when the flood did. An analysis of leon festingers a theory of cognitive. The theory was motivated by a study of rumors immediately following a severe earthquake in india in 1934. A theory of cognitive dissonance by leon festinger, 1962, stanford u. While at the university of minnesota, festinger read about a cult that believed that the end of the world was at hand. Here are presented all the main aspects of the theory. A theory of cognitive dissonance 1962 edition open library. A theory of cognitive dissonance, book by leon festinger. Buy the paperback book a theory of cognitive dissonance by leon festinger at indigo.
Cognitive dissonance theory links actions and attitudes. Festingers theory of cognitive dissonance has been one of the most inf. Leon festinger 8 may 1919 11 february 1989 was an american social psychologist, perhaps best known for cognitive dissonance and social comparison theory. It is also a prime example of how creative thinking and problem solving skills can come together to produce work that changes the way. Leon festingers theory of cognitive dissonance has been widely recognized for its important and influential concepts in areas of motivation and. In a time of abundant information, the risk of picking up only those data that support our previous convictions is always there. In the rest of the book many behavioural facts supporting the theory are put forward. As presented by festinger in 1957, dissonance theory began by postulating that pairs of cognitions elements of knowledge can be relevant or irrelevant to one another. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the us or from the uk. This work is a clearly stated theory on how humans think, decide, and defend their decisions. The magnitude of dissonance is directly proportional to the number of discrepant cognitions and inversely proportional to the number of consonant cognitions that a person has. A theory of cognitive dissonance book by leon festinger. In theory of cognitive disonance, festinger has written a book we can all easily follow along and indeed find hard to put down. See all books authored by leon festinger, including when prophecy fails.
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