Question

Which of the following strategies can be employed to resolve cognitive dissonance.

a. changing the importance of dissonant thoughts.
b. adding consonant thoughts.
c. changing your behaviour.
d. adding dissonant thoughts.

Answer 1

B.adding consonant thoughts, To resolve cognitive dissonance, strategies like changing the importance of dissonant thoughts, and changing behavior can be employed.

Step-by-step explanation:

Cognitive dissonance is the psychological discomfort that arises when there is a conflict between our behaviors, attitudes, or beliefs that contradicts our positive self-perception. To resolve cognitive dissonance, we can employ several strategies:

1. Changing the importance of dissonant thoughts: We can reassess the significance of the conflicting thoughts to reduce the discomfort. For example, if someone believes smoking is harmful but continues to smoke, they may downplay the importance of health risks.
2. Adding consonant thoughts: We can introduce new thoughts or beliefs that align with our existing attitudes and minimize the conflict. For instance, a smoker may justify their habit by focusing on the appetite suppression it provides.
3. Changing our behavior: By altering our actions to align with our beliefs, we can reduce cognitive dissonance. For instance, a smoker may quit smoking to bring their behavior in line with their belief that smoking is harmful.