Law of Dissonance

The Law of Dissonance according to the book states, the idea that “people will naturally act in a manner that is consistent with their cognitions and commitments.” In my words, it is when humans do something that goes against their core values and beliefs and then try to justify why their actions don’t match up in order to stop feeling guilty and uncomfortable. I do not use this law often but the times I can remember, they pertain to my relationship with my girlfriend. When I am doing the same thing as my friends or another person, she will recognize that we both have done the same thing. From there, she will acknowledge my friends or another person but will not me. This makes me upset at times and I will say, “don’t you like me just as much or more? Why aren’t you giving me any recognition?” By doing this, I hope to have her feel a sense of dissonance. Throughout my life, I definitely have used this law as a child but as I have grown up, I haven’t had to encounter any situations where dissonance was used.

My next example is a scenario of a kid trying to be healthy. This kid decides that he is going to start to live healthy and change his eating habits. For a while, he does a good job until he has a bad day of school. When his parents come home from work, they see him lying on the couch eating a container of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Seeing this they ask the kid “Weren’t you supposed to be living a healthy lifestyle and not eating those sorts of foods?” The kid then responds by saying, “Oh well…. I had a bad day today at school and the only thing that makes me feel better is eating a container of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. In this particular scenario, the kid is telling lies to change his beliefs but actions aren’t.

My last example is when a father is shopping at the mall with his child to buy presents for numerous people for Christmas. When shopping, a woman ask the father with his child if every child deserves some sort of present for Christmas each year. With his child next to him, he proudly agrees and then the woman ask in response if he would be willing to donate a gift to an orphanage for little children who have no gifts. Being stuck in this situation and agreeing that all children should receive some gift each year for Christmas, he donates a gift. If he were to change his mind and not give a gift, he would be lying and changing his beliefs.