Chapter 6 - Cognitive Dissonance and the Need to Protect Our Self-Esteem Flashcards
Ways to reduce cognitive dissonance
- changing our behavior to bring it in line with the dissonant cognition
- justifying our behavior by changing one of the dissonant cognitions
- attempting to justify our behavior by adding new cognitions
Cognitive dissonance
the discomfort people experience when they behave in ways that threaten their self-esteem
Lowballing
an unethical strategy in which a salesperson induces a customer to agree to purchase a product at a low cost, subsequentially claims it was an error, and then raises the price; frequently the customer will agree to make the purchase at the inflated price
Why lowballing works
- already committed into purchasing
- committment triggers the anticipation of an exciting event
- even if the price is higher, it is probably only slightly higher than it would be if sold in another place
Justification of effort
the tendency for individuals to increase their liking for something they have worked hard to attain
External justification
a reason or explanation for dissonant personal behavior that resides outside the individual
Internal justification
the reduction of dissonance by changing something about oneself, such as attitude or behavior
Counter-attitudinal behavior
acting in a way that runs counter to one’s private belief of attitude
Insufficient punishment
the dissonance aroused when an individual lacks sufficient external justification for having resisted a desired activity or object, usually resulting in individuals devaluing the forbidden activity or object
Hypocrisy induction
the arousal of dissonance by having individuals make statements that run counter to their behaviors and reminding them of the inconsistency between what they advocated and their behavior
Self-affirmation theory
people can reduce threats to their self-esteem by affirming themselves in areas unrelated to the source of the threat
Self-evaluation maintenance theory
people will experience dissonance in relationships when three conditions are met
- you feel close to another person
- who is outperforming us in a particular area
- that is central to your self-esteem
Narcissism
the combination of an excessive self-love and a lack of empathy toward others
Terror management theory
self-esteem serves as a buffer, protecting people from terrifying thoughts about their own mortality
