Cognitive Dissonance: Theory, Examples & How to Reduce It

cognitive dissonance addiction

To reduce this dissonance, they may seek out new information that overrides the belief that greenhouse gasses contribute to global warming. Cognitive dissonance can even influence how people feel about and view themselves, leading to negative feelings of self-esteem and self-worth. Once a choice has been made, however, people need to find a way to reduce these feelings of discomfort. We accomplish this by justifying why our choice was the best option so we can believe that we made the right decision. The inconsistency between what people believe and how they behave motivates them to engage in actions that will help minimize feelings of discomfort. People attempt to relieve this tension in different ways, such as by rejecting, explaining away, or avoiding new information.

Reducing the Importance of the Conflicting Belief

Cognitive dissonance has a positive influence on the discontinuous usage intention of pan-entertainment mobile live broadcast platform users. User addiction to the pan-entertainment mobile live broadcast platform has a positive influence on users’ cognitive dissonance. Information overload on pan-entertainment mobile live broadcast platform has a positive influence on users’ cognitive dissonance. The other half, however, given insufficient justification (only $1) for their behavior, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ experienced dissonance between the knowledge that the task was boring and the reality that they were misleading a fellow participant into believing it was interesting. “Rather than experience the painful feelings of believing one thing but saying another, these individuals actually changed their opinion and convinced themselves that the task was actually very interesting. In other words, their attitude was shaped by their behavior (lying)” (Cooper and Carlsmith, 2002).

Addiction and Cognition

Cognitive reframing of lapses, coping imagery for craving and life style interventions, such as physical activity are used to help develop skills to deal with craving and broaden the patient’s behavioural repertoire. Cognitive restructuring techniques are employed to modifying beliefs related to perceived self-efficacy and substance related outcome expectancies (“such as drinking makes me more assertive”, “there is no point in trying to be abstinent I can’t do it”). The introduction to the survey emphasized the importance of the participant’s contributions to the study and their role in advancing the field of pan-entertainment mobile live broadcast platform research. The participants were informed that their responses would be used solely for academic purposes and would not be shared with third parties. The anonymity and confidentiality of the study were also guaranteed, with no personal identifying information collected.

Alcohol Abuse and Cognitive Dissonance

  • Research into the changes in cognition that accompany addiction and the neural substrates of learning and addiction is still in its infancy but has potential to reshape views on addiction.
  • Someone spiraling into addiction knows that what they are doing isn’t good for them on some level.
  • For example, Islam, Whelan, and Brooks [93] found that self-efficacy is negatively related to information overload.
  • However, the person may do this with the belief that their behavior makes total sense.

Our developed CMI approach makes a clear contribution to the theory of MI and can potentially benefit people with substance use problems with complex needs. Presently, we are refining CMI and have been applying this approach to additional clients and CSOs. We call for more studies to monitor its fidelity and wider application in populations cognitive dissonance addiction of individuals affected by substance use disorders. A model of the predictors of the discontinuous usage intention of pan-entertainment mobile live broadcast platforms. Motivational Interviewing (MI) and motivational enhancement therapy (MET) are approaches that target motivation and decisional balance of the patient.

  • This is particularly true if it is a deeply held conviction central to an individual’s sense of self.
  • People who feel it could realize, for example, that they need to update their beliefs to reflect the truth, or change their behavior to better match the person they want to be.
  • In an intriguing experiment, Festinger and Carlsmith (1959) asked participants to perform a series of dull tasks (such as turning pegs in a peg board for an hour).
  • We will do a number of things to try to restore harmony between our conflicting thoughts and behaviors.
  • We are dedicated to transforming the despair of addiction into a purposeful life of confidence, self-respect and happiness.

Prenatal exposures to a number of other drugs have significant deleterious effects on cognition and behavior that may not rise to the level of mental retardation. In one study, 5-year-olds whose mothers had used alcohol, cocaine, and/or opiates while pregnant ranked below unexposed controls in language skills, impulse control, and visual attention. There were no significant differences between the two groups of children in intelligence, visual/manual dexterity, or sustained attention; however, both groups placed below the normative means on these measures (Pulsifer et al., 2008). Another study documented memory deficits in 10-year-old children who had been exposed prenatally to alcohol or marijuana (Richardson et al., 2002). In the first stage, the individual’s occasional drug taking becomes increasingly chronic and uncontrolled. The neurological source of these symptoms is drug-induced deregulation of the brain’s reward system (Feltenstein and See, 2008).

cognitive dissonance addiction

Early Studies of Cognitive Dissonance

cognitive dissonance addiction

Prior studies have also shown that cyberbullying is a major concern among pan-entertainment mobile live broadcast platform users [103]. To tackle this issue, platforms should implement strict policies and procedures for handling cyberbullying and provide users with the ability to report and block other users. The brain regions and neural processes that underlie addiction overlap extensively with those that support cognitive functions, including learning, memory, and reasoning. Drug activity in these regions and processes during early stages of abuse foster strong maladaptive associations between drug use and environmental stimuli that may underlie future cravings and drug-seeking behaviors. With continued drug use, cognitive deficits ensue that exacerbate the difficulty of establishing sustained abstinence.

GENES, DRUGS, AND COGNITION

Psychologist Kia-Rai Prewitt, PhD, explains how to manage this feeling of discomfort, what’s known as cognitive dissonance, and how it can affect your mental health and other relationships when left unchecked. This article reviews current knowledge on the cognitive effects of drugs and their neurological underpinnings. These effects may be particularly disruptive when individuals are exposed to drugs during brain development, which lasts from the prenatal period through adolescence, and in individuals with mental disorders. An understanding of these issues will help substance abuse clinicians identify and respond to cognitive changes that affect patients’ responses to treatment.

cognitive dissonance addiction

Cognitive Dissonance and the Discomfort of Holding Conflicting Beliefs

This includes refraining from judgment and instead being accepting of our observations. Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive CBT Exercises for free. These science-based exercises will provide you with detailed insight into Positive CBT and give you the tools to apply it in your therapy or coaching.

How to Resolve Cognitive Dissonance

For example, a small 2019 study notes that dissonance-based interventions may be helpful for people with eating disorders. This approach works by encouraging people to say things or role-play behaviors that contradict their beliefs about food and body image. However, cognitive dissonance can also be a tool for personal and social change.

Dissonance-Based Therapy

Angie has dedicated her life to freeing those suffering from drug and alcohol addiction. Her wealth of experience coupled with her natural talent for connecting with people and a deep desire to make a difference in the world has made Angie the leader she is today. In addition to offering drug and alcohol counseling, Tim Sinnott is a counselor who is highly skilled and experienced in marriage and family counseling, treating anxiety and depression, and offering coping strategies for life transitions. He utilizes positive psychology as much as possible during his counseling sessions. Positive psychology is a treatment approach that believes all people want to lead fulfilling and meaningful personal and professional lives.

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