What is the Difference Between Cognitive Dissonance and Self Perception Theory

The main difference between cognitive dissonance and self perception theory is that in cognitive dissonance, there is often a discrepancy between attitude and behaviour while in self perception theory, there is congruence between attitude and behaviour.

Cognitive dissonance and self perception are two concepts in psychology that describe human behaviour. Cognitive dissonance describes a situation where a person feels discomfort due to conflicting ideals, beliefs, attitudes or behaviour while self perception theory claims people develop attitudes and opinions by observing their own behaviour and drawing conclusions from them.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Cognitive Dissonance 
     – Definition, Characteristics 
2. What is Self Perception Theory
     – Definition, Characteristics 
3. What is the Difference Between Cognitive Dissonance and Self Perception Theory
    – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Behaviour, Cognitive Dissonance, Self Perception Theory

What is Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance is the state of discomfort resulting from conflicting ideals, beliefs, attitudes or behaviours. What happens in this state is that a person holds two conflicting ideas or attitudes at once, making him feel unease and discomfort. This discomfort can also manifest itself as embarrassment, shame, stress, regret, anxiety, guilt, or sadness. For example, a person who knows that smoking causes cancer may feel uneasy about smoking. Here, there is an inconsistency between this person’s belief and behaviour, causing a dissonance.

Leon Festinger was the first to introduce this phenomenon of cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance can be mainly caused by forced compliance, decision making, and new information. Forced compliance occurs when a person if compelled to performs an action that is inconsistent with his or her beliefs. Making decisions can also arouse dissonance. When making a choice between two similar things, we often feel dissonance, especially if we find both options equally appealing. The best way to resolve this dissonance is to accept that the choice we made was the best option. Sometimes, learning new information can also create cognitive dissonance. For example, if you learn that your behaviour in the past has led to something harmful, you will feel dissonance.

There are several methods people unconsciously use to deal with cognitive dissonance. The first method is to adopt beliefs or ideas that help justify or explain away the conflict between beliefs or behaviours. Sometimes this may involve blaming other people or outside factors. Another technique is hiding one’s beliefs or behaviours from other people. Some also deal with dissonance by seeking only information that confirms their existing beliefs.

What is Self Perception Theory

Self-perception theory is a theory that claims people develop attitudes and opinions by observing their own behaviour and drawing conclusions from them. This theory was proposed by Daryl Bem in 1967, who argued that people analyze their own behaviour as they would analyze others’ behaviour.

We generally believe that it is our attitudes and personality that direct our actions. However, self-perception theory states that this is not always true. According to this theory, sometimes, people are uncertain of their own attitudes, and analyzing their own behaviour helps them to understand themselves. This theory, therefore, illustrates that ‘we are what we do’. Moreover, this theory downplays the role of internal thoughts and emotions in attitude formation.

Let’s look at an example to understand this theory more clearly. For example, imagine that you are a fan of rock and roll. According to self-perception theory, you don’t actually like rock and roll and because you think it’s the best genre of music or because listening to it makes you feel good. You think that you like it because you listen to it a lot. Here, this liking is based on your behaviour, not on your attitudes or opinions.

Difference Between Cognitive Dissonance and Self Perception Theory

Definition

Cognitive dissonance is the state of discomfort resulting from conflicting ideals, beliefs, attitudes or behaviours while self-perception theory is a theory that claims people develop attitudes and opinions by observing their own behaviour and drawing conclusions from them.

Origin

Cognitive dissonance was introduced by Leon Festinger while self-perception theory was introduced by Daryl Bem.

Attitude and Behaviour

In cognitive dissonance, there is often a discrepancy between attitude and behaviour while in self-perception theory, there is congruence between attitude and behaviour.

Discomfort

Cognitive dissonance gives rise to discomfort while self-perception does not give rise to tension or discomfort, just logical observations.

Conclusion

Cognitive dissonance describes a situation where a person feels discomfort due to conflicting ideals, beliefs, attitudes or behaviour while self-perception theory claims people develop attitudes and opinions by observing their own behaviour and drawing conclusions from them. The main difference between cognitive dissonance and self perception theory is that in cognitive dissonance, there is often a discrepancy between attitude and behaviour while in self-perception theory, there is congruence between attitude and behaviour.

Reference:

1. Mcleod, Saul. “Cognitive Dissonance Theory.” Simply Psychology, Available here.
2. “Self-Perception Theory (Bem).” Learning Theories, 29 June 2016, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Cognitive dissonance” By U3067591 – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Young Girl Looking At Mirror In Darkness” (CC0) via Pixy.org