February 2021

People also often simply try to avoid information that contradicts their beliefs or behaviors. It is important to note that people only experience discomfort when they are aware of the conflict between their attitudes and reality. https://ecosoberhouse.com/ One of Festinger’s experiments revealed how forced compliance could lead to cognitive dissonance. In the study, participants were asked to complete a boring task that involved turning pegs on a peg board for an hour.

• This can prompt people to adopt certain defense mechanisms when they have to confront it.
• One helpful cognitive strategy in the initial phase of CBT includes using the Advantage/disadvantage technique with the patient29.
• You also tell yourself that people really exaggerate how dangerous smoking is.  After all, you know people who smoke who have lived very long lives.
• Cognitive dissonance plays a significant role in the recovery process for individuals with addiction.
• Someone spiraling into addiction knows that what they are doing isn’t good for them on some level.

Examples of Cognitive Dissonance

He started using alcohol in his college, with friends and found that drinking helped him cope with his anxiety. Gradually he began to drink before meetings or interactions (maladaptive coping and negative reinforcement). His alcohol consumption increased and began affecting his work, and functioning. He reported difficulty sleeping if he did not drink, could not get past the day without drinking or thinking about his next drink (establishment of a dependence pattern).

COGNITIVE DEFICITS IN CHRONIC DRUG ABUSE

That’s because if you’re not self-aware, cognitive dissonance can leave you acting and feeling pretty out of character. In the study, individuals were asked to perform 30 minutes of a very boring and tedious activity. Then, they had to persuade a waiting study participant that the activity was really very interesting. This situation created cognitive dissonance in most individuals––they believed that the task was boring, yet for no good reason they had to say quite the opposite. Half of the participants were given a ready excuse for telling this lie––they would be paid $20 to tell the lie. Those with a clear justification ($20) for lying experienced no dissonance and, as one would expect, later reported that the task was really rather boring.

Don’t let me down: how to get over a fear of disappointing others

This phenomenon leads individuals to rationalize their addictive behaviors and ignore any information that contradicts their beliefs. Consequently, this internal conflict gives rise to negative emotions and discomfort. To maintain a positive self-image, individuals may align their beliefs with their actions, even in the presence cognitive dissonance and addiction of evidence pointing to harm. Furthermore, they may devise justifications for their addictive behaviors, deceiving themselves and avoiding the harsh reality of their addiction. It is crucial for specialists to comprehend the role of cognitive dissonance in addiction perception in order to effectively treat their clients.

Personality Predictors of IT Addiction

This is exciting, because it means we’re always learning, but it can lead to cognitive dissonance. When it comes to addiction, and other potentially harmful behaviors, cognitive dissonance can keep us trapped in denial, unable to change destructive behaviors. Increasing our awareness about what we believe, think, and do is the first step to making the changes we want to make. Someone recovering from substance abuse is not immune from the continuing battle with cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is the fundamental coping mechanism that people abusing drugs use throughout their active addiction and can often follow them into recovery. The subconscious mind resolves cognitive dissonance by changing the individual’s perception of reality to restore balance as a mental defense mechanism.

• Because people want to avoid discomfort, cognitive dissonance can have a wide range of effects.
• Drug-related cognitive deficits may be particularly detrimental to the well-being of individuals whose cognitive performance is already compromised by a mental disorder.
• 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.
• Patient is instructed not to provide explanations for abstinence so as to avoid counter arguments.

Challenge your beliefs

Research shows that justifications give people the impression that they made a careful decision. In the face of temptation (problematic desires), we need to dispute rationally our distorted reasoning and the judgments that follow. After all, it takes only a single moment of weakness during a high-risk situation for a recovering addict to reconsider drug use and relapse. Friends and relatives who learn that an addict holds a negative view of drug (or behavior) and is motivated to quit may be surprised to learn of a sudden shift in preference for the drug. Another tactic to reduce cognitive dissonance often involves blaming other people for the behavior that created the conflict.

Those involved in substance abuse must contend with constant dissonance because there is so much compelling evidence that their substance abuse is dangerous. This is when the negatives of the addiction, including guilt and shame, can dominate the decisions they make. Only when they are ready can they possibly have a chance to see the cognitive dissonance for what it is and the damage their addiction has caused. To reduce dissonance, you might justify your actions by reminding yourself that you didn’t have a choice. You may convince yourself that you actually wanted to engage in those actions.

Reach out now and join our supportive

Addiction and Cognition