AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Cognitive dissonance theory postulates that an underlying psychological tension is created when an individual’s behavior is inconsistent with his or her thoughts and beliefs. This underlying tension then motivates an individual to make an attitude change that would produce consistency between thoughts and behaviors.

Detailed explanation-2: -Cognitive dissonance theory was first presented by Leon Festinger in 1957 in order to explain the relationships between the motivation, perceptions and cognitions of an individual (Festinger, 1962). It clarified the conditions that motivate individuals to change their opinions, attitudes, beliefs or behaviours.

Detailed explanation-3: -The theory of cognitive dissonance was molded by Leon Festinger at the beginning of the 1950s. It suggests that inconsistencies among cognitions (i.e., knowledge, opinion, or belief about the environment, oneself, or one’s behavior) generate an uncomfortable motivating feeling (i.e., the cognitive dissonance state).

Detailed explanation-4: -Cognitive consonance, first described by psychological researcher Leon Festinger in the 1950s, means a state of mind in which the person’s conscious knowledge, attitudes, and awareness are congruent and in harmony with their unconscious, emotional, or innate beliefs.