On the motivational nature of cognitive dissonance: Dissonance as psychological discomfort.
Abstract
Most empirical research investigating the motivational properties of cognitive dissonance has focused on the arousal component of dissonance rather than on the psychological component explicitly delineated by L. Festinger (1957) . In 2 induced-compliance experiments, a self-report measure of affect was used to demostrate that dissonance is experienced as psychological discomfort and that this psychological discomfort is alleviated on implementation of a dissonance-reduction strategy, attitude change. Experiment 1 yielded supporting evidence for both of these propositions. Experiment 2 replicated the 1st experiment and ruled out a self-perception-based alternative explanation for the dissonance-reduction findings in Experiment 1. Results from the 2 experiments strongly support Festinger's conceptualization of cognitive dissonance as a fundamentally motivational state.
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There are empirical reasons to suppose that a negative affective state results from the conflict between two representations.
“In short, we have empirical reasons to suppose that a negative affective state results from the conflict between two representations (Elliot & Devine, 1994, Kitayama, Chua, Tompson, & Han, 2013)”
From Conative Dissonance (2026) · cites this paper as Elliot & Devine, 1994
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“In short, we have empirical reasons to suppose that a negative affective state results from the conflict between two representations (Elliot & Devine, 1994, Kitayama, Chua, Tompson, & Han, 2013), although this negative affective state may or may not be something the subject is aware of (Lieberman et…”
- Authors
- Elliot, A. J., & Devine, P. G.
- Affiliations
- University of Rochester (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
- Published
- 1994-09
- Volume
- 67
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 382-394
- ISSN
- 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1315
- OpenAlex
- W2123716662
- Cited by
- 1,289
- References
- 8
- Citations by year
- 2026: 36 · 2025: 53 · 2024: 49 · 2023: 48 · 2022: 56 · 2021: 77 · 2020: 130 · 2019: 65 · 2018: 77 · 2017: 68 · 2016: 52 · 2015: 70 · 2014: 58 · 2013: 58 · 2012: 45
- FWCI
- 24.03
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Psychology of Social Influence
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Keywords
- cognitive dissonance, motivation, psychological discomfort, dissonance reduction, attitude change, self-perception, Festinger
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