People like to believe that they are logical, consistent, and good at making decisions. Cognitive dissonance can interfere with the perceptions they hold about themselves and their abilities, which is why it can often feel so uncomfortable and unpleasant. By Neha KashyapKashyap is a New York-based health journalist with a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the University of Southern California. We declare no conflict of interest in conducting the study and preparing the present manuscript. Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person holds two related but contradictory cognitions, or thoughts. Patterns of movement through the various stages are categorized as stable, progressive or unstable11.
The Nature of the Belief
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For instance, someone with a strong belief in a political ideology may refuse to absorb new information that challenges their perspective. Changing deeply ingrained beliefs or behaviors can be challenging and may require significant effort and support. At Elevate, we consider and employ various therapies throughout our holistic approach to mind-body-spirit addiction recovery treatment. When considering and administering therapy for addiction recovery, it’s essential to evaluate different therapeutic methods. Cognitive dissonance is the tension that is perceived by the conflict of a belief and an opposing desire with which the mind is faced.
Treatment strategies in the relapse prevention
Instead of feeling defensive, dig into the information that your response gives you. Understanding what caused the dissonance can help you figure out the best way to address it. In one study, researchers asked participants to give speeches that would encourage the audience to take a certain positive https://ecosoberhouse.com/ action. Since addiction creates a chemical dependency on a substance — whether it’s nicotine or sugar — this kind of dissonance can be hard to shake. When we say “yes” to a choice, whether it’s as small as what to order for lunch or as big as where to live, we have to say “no” to something else.
Dissonance-Based Therapy
- Cognitive dissonance can feel a lot like anxiety and stress — and they often come paired together.
- The internal discomfort and tension of cognitive dissonance could contribute to stress or unhappiness.
- These emotions can lead to self-destructive behavior and a negative self-view.
If both options are equally harmless, changing your beliefs to support the option you chose won’t have any long-term negative impacts. One of the best examples of cognitive dissonance can be found in the Aesop Tale of the Fox and the Grapes. One day a fox is strolling through a forest and he notices some delicious looking grapes. He then realises that these grapes are up too high for him to be able to reach. The fox has the inner conflict of wanting the grapes but not being able to get to them.
In utero exposure to tobacco byproducts has been linked to cognitive deficits in laboratory animals and human adolescents (Dwyer, Broide, and Leslie, 2008). Some studies suggest that such exposure can lower general intelligence; for example, one found a 12-point gap in full-scale IQ between exposed and unexposed middle-class adolescents (e.g., Fried, Watkinson, and Gray, 2003). 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). An individual progresses through various stages of changes and the movement is influenced by several factors.
MET adopts several social cognitive as well as Rogerian principles in its approach and in keeping with the social cognitive theory, personal agency is emphasized. A state of mental consonance feels better to us, and means that we have somehow reconciled our conflicting beliefs, or we have reconciled our behavior and our beliefs so they are in agreement again (Cooper and Carlsmith, 2002). It’s safe to say that everyone has experienced this unpleasant feeling of cognitive dissonance at one time or another. What’s very interesting, as we will discuss, is how we reconcile conflicting thoughts and behaviors.
What Are the Emotional and Cognitive Conflicts in Addiction?
Drugs alter normal brain structure and function in these regions, producing cognitive shifts that promote continued drug use through maladaptive learning and hinder the acquisition of adaptive behaviors that support abstinence. The conflicting thoughts and discomfort may make it challenging for individuals to change their addictive behaviors. They may resist information or treatment that challenges their beliefs or habits, perpetuating a cycle of continued addiction.
Cognitive dissonance makes it significantly more challenging to deal with cravings and triggers, which is why developing healthy coping skills is so crucial for your substance-free life. Cognitive dissonance is the uncomfortable feeling that can occur when you have conflicting beliefs, values, or behaviors. It is possible cognitive dissonance and addiction to resolve cognitive dissonance by either changing one’s behavior or changing one’s beliefs so they are consistent with each other. The effects of prenatal tobacco exposure are particularly concerning because so many expectant mothers smoke—by one estimate, over 10 percent in the United States (Hamilton et al., 2007).
- To reduce cognitive dissonance, individuals should seek accountability and support, challenge their distorted reasoning, and be open to absorbing new information.
- Furthermore, emotional and cognitive conflicts arise in addiction due to cognitive dissonance.
- Rajiv had tried on many occasions to stop drinking, but had been unsuccessful.
Planning a cognitive behavioural programme
- This type of internal conflict also occurs because people feel guilty or uneasy about holding these opposing cognitions – they don’t want to think of themselves as illogical or inconsistent.
- With regard to addictive behaviours Cognitive Therapy emphasizes psychoeducation and relapse prevention.
- Sometimes, when you’re faced with difficult decisions in the moment, it’s best to take a break and revisit it later when all parties have processed what’s happened.
- For example, a person may have to do something they disagree with at work.
If they are part of a wider problem that is causing distress, people may benefit from speaking with a therapist. However, Festinger believed that all people are motivated to avoid or resolve cognitive dissonance due to the discomfort it causes. This can prompt people to adopt certain defense mechanisms when they have to confront it.