Psychology Chapter on Dissonance Theory

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

• Cognitive dissonance occurs when an individual perceives inconsistency between attitudes or between behavior and attitudes.
• Festinger proposed that individuals seek to reduce dissonance for comfort.
• The degree of motivation to reduce dissonance depends on the importance of creating elements, perceived control over them, and the rewards involved.

Attitudes and Behavior Relationship

• Research suggests that attitudes can predict behavior.
• Important attitudes correlate strongly with behavior, reflecting personal values and self-interest.
• Specific attitudes predict specific behaviors, unlike general attitudes predicting general behaviors.

Moderating Variables in Attitudes

• Importance of the attitude influences its correlation with behavior.
• Attitudes that are easily accessible from memory are more likely to predict behavior effectively.
• Social pressures can create discrepancies between attitudes and behaviors in organizational contexts.
• Direct personal experience with an attitude strengthens its predictive power regarding behavior.

Components of Attitude

• Attitudes consist of three components:
  • Cognitive: Beliefs and opinions.
  • Affective: Emotional responses.
  • Behavioral: Intentions to act in certain ways.

Job Satisfaction and Related Concepts

• Job satisfaction is a positive feeling derived from the evaluation of job characteristics.
• Job involvement refers to the degree of identification with a job and its significance to self-worth.
• Psychological empowerment relates to an employee's belief in their impact on their work.
• Organizational commitment reflects the employee's alignment with organizational goals and desire to stay.
• Employee engagement includes the individual's involvement and enthusiasm for their work.

Causes and Outcomes of Job Satisfaction

• Main causes of job satisfaction include job conditions, personality, pay, and corporate social responsibility.
• Positive job satisfaction leads to higher job performance, organizational citizenship behavior, customer satisfaction, and life satisfaction.

Impact of Job Dissatisfaction

• Dissatisfaction can manifest through:
  • Exit: Behavior directed at leaving the organization.
  • Voice: Constructive feedback and attempts to improve conditions.
  • Loyalty: Optimistic waiting for conditions to improve while supporting the organization.
  • Neglect: Passive allowance of conditions to worsen, demonstrated through absenteeism or reduced effort.