Cognitive Dissonance, Second Edition (2024)

What mental process occurs when a person does something she knows is unhealthy? When an honest person tells a "white lie," what happens to his or her sense of integrity? If we must choose between two equally attractive options, why does our value judgment of the options change after the choice has been made?

In 1954 Leon Festinger first posited a theory of cognitive dissonance to describe the psychological phenomenon that occurs in these situations. In the years since, cognitive dissonance has become a central pillar of psychological theory, as was documented in the first edition of this book.

In this new and fully-updated edition, editor Eddie Harmon-Jones brings the study of cognitive dissonance into the 21st century.

Contributors survey recent discoveries about the role dissonance plays in a variety of information processes, as well as about connections between dissonance processes and other motivational processes. Other authors introduce mathematical and action-based models that summarize how dissonance works.

Evidence describing the neural correlates of dissonance is also provided, helping to demonstrate the biological foundations of the theory.

Contributors

Foreword to the First Edition

Foreword to the Second Edition

Preface

1. An Introduction to Cognitive Dissonance Theory and an Overview of Current Perspectives on the Theory
   Eddie Harmon-Jones and Judson Mills

I. Perspectives Employing the Original Version of the Theory

2. Improving the 1957 Version of Dissonance Theory
   Judson Mills
3. A Radical Point of View on Dissonance Theory
   Jean-Leon Beauvois and Robert-Vincent Joule
4. Understanding the Motivation Underlying Dissonance Effects: The Action-Based Model
   Eddie Harmon-Jones and Cindy Harmon-Jones
5. What Is Cognitive Consistency, and Why Does It Matter?
   Bertram Gawronski and Skylar M. Brannon
6. Dissonance Now: How Accessible Discrepancies Moderate Distress and Diverse Defenses
   Ian McGregor, Ian R. Newby-Clark, and Mark P. Zanna

II. The Role of the Self in Dissonance

7. Dissonance, Hypocrisy, and the Self-Concept
   Elliot Aronson
8. Self-Affirmation Theory: An Update and Appraisal
   Joshua Aronson, Geoffrey Cohen, and Paul R. Nail
9. In Search of the Motivation for Dissonance Reduction: The Drive to Lessen Aversive Consequences
   Joel Cooper

III. Mathematical Models, Neural Activations, and Affective Responses

10. Modeling Cognitive Dissonance as a Parallel Constraint Satisfaction Network With Learning
    Stephen J. Read and Brian M. Monroe
11. Neural Basis of Cognitive Dissonance
    Keise Izuma and Kou Murayama
12. Moving Beyond Attitude Change in the Study of Dissonance-Related Processes: An Update on the Role of Discomfort
    Patricia G. Devine, John M. Tauer, Kenneth E. Barron, Andrew J. Elliot, Kristen M. Vance, and Eddie Harmon-Jones

Appendix A: Social Communication and Cognition: A Very Preliminary and Highly Tentative Draft
Leon Festinger (1954)

Appendix B: Reflections on Cognitive Dissonance: 30 Years Later
Leon Festinger (1987)

Appendix C: Historical Note on Festinger's Tests of Dissonance Theory
Judson Mills

Index

About the Editor

Eddie Harmon-Jones, PhD, is a professor of psychology at The University of New South Wales.

His research focuses on emotions and motivations, their implications for social and cognitive processes, and their underlying physiological substrates. His research has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Australian Research Council.

In 2002, he received the Award for Distinguished Early Career Contribution to Psychophysiology from the Society for Psychophysiological Research. In 2012, he received the Career Trajectory Award from the Society of Experimental Social Psychology.

He has authored more than 200 articles and book chapters, and has edited six scholarly books. He has served as an associate editor of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, the International Journal of Psychophysiology, and Emotion. He is currently an associate editor of the journal Psychological Science.

Visit the Social Emotive Neuroscience Lab website, and follow @eddiehj68.

• 2019 Outstanding Academic Title

Cognitive Dissonance is a must-read for anyone studying social psychology. Now in its second edition, this work continues to show the utility of Festinger's seminal theory but also modernizes it and, perhaps, expands on it...Highly recommended.
—Choice

A fresh look at an evergreen topic, this book is a must-read for those who want a digestible overview or are newly interested in the enduring theory of cognitive dissonance.
—Kathleen D. Vohs, PhD
Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

Format: Paperback

Publication date: March 2019

ISBN: 978-1-4338-3010-5

Item #: 4318158

Pages: 303