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A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance
Leon Festinger's 1957 monograph proposes that inconsistent cognitions produce psychological discomfort that motivates efforts to reduce the inconsistency.
- Author and origin
- Leon Festinger (United States)Original language: English. First published in 1957 by Row, Peterson and Company (Evanston, Illinois); subsequently reissued by Stanford University Press.
- Genre and form
- Academic (Scholarly monograph)Foundational scholarly monographs, experimental treatises, and theoretical volumes written for researchers and students.
- Pairing and evidence
- Primary scholarshipA foundational academic book or treatise. Each profile states what was inspected and whether a research paper is paired.
- Sources inspected
- 2 text/abstract inspected, 1 metadata checked (of 3)2 with the primary text or archive/edition record checked, 0 with an indexed abstract read, 1 with bibliographic metadata checked, 0 not verified.
The work and edition history
Written while Leon Festinger was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance was first published in 1957 by Row, Peterson and Company and later reissued by Stanford University Press. Inspection of the Stanford CASBS institutional bibliography and the Stanford University Press partner catalog confirms both edition imprints and the 1957 publication date without claiming a full-text reading of the monograph.
Psychological reading
The book proposes that inconsistent cognitions can produce discomfort and motivate efforts to reduce the inconsistency. That creates a question to bring to a story or an everyday explanation: is the person changing an action, or changing how the action is understood?
Why it earns inclusion
The theory gives readers a vocabulary for examining the relationship between belief and conduct. It is a useful conceptual neighbor to Crime and Punishment, with no suggestion that Festinger’s theory establishes why a fictional character acts as he does.
Academic pairing and claim scope
No separate research paper is formally paired. Institutional and publisher records identify the book; OpenStax section 12.3 supplies the introductory description of dissonance used here. A test of a particular prediction would require the relevant study and its methods.
Limits and controversies
A theory’s proposal should be distinguished from evidence for any one prediction. This profile does not assess the subsequent experimental literature or make a claim about the strength of every effect associated with dissonance.
Evidence behind the claims
Leon Festinger’s A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance was first published in 1957 under the Row, Peterson and Company imprint.
Stanford University Press later reissued the book.
OpenStax describes dissonance as discomfort associated with inconsistency and discusses changing behavior or beliefs to reduce it.
Authors and researchers
- Leon Festinger. American social psychologist who authored A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance (1957) and helped establish experimental social psychology.
In the Psy101 course
- OpenStax Psychology 2e, section 12.3: Attitudes and PersuasionChapter 12, Social Psychology. Concept. Suggested conceptual background; a mention of this work in the section has not been verified.Introduces cognitive dissonance, attitude-behavior inconsistency, and persuasion in social psychology.
- OpenStax Psychology 2e, section 12.1: What Is Social Psychology?Chapter 12, Social Psychology. Concept. Suggested conceptual background; a mention of this work in the section has not been verified.Places dissonance theory alongside situational and cognitive explanations of social behavior.
- OpenStax Psychology 2e, section 10.1: MotivationChapter 10, Motivation and Emotion. Concept. Suggested conceptual background; a mention of this work in the section has not been verified.Connects Festinger's motivational drive toward cognitive consistency to broader theories of motivation.
Educational reading guide only, not clinical diagnosis or treatment guidance. This course map indicates introductory curriculum relevance rather than clinical proof.See the full course map.
Sources and inspection
Of 3 cited sources, 2 had primary text or archive/edition records checked, 0 had an indexed abstract read, and 1 had bibliographic metadata checked (0 unverified). Literary works and memoirs are distinguished from empirical research studies.
- [2]Festinger, L. (n.d.). A theory of cognitive dissonance (Stanford university press catalog record). Stanford University Press / De Gruyter Brill. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781503620766/htmlConsulted sourcePublisher or bibliographic record. Historical or biographical context.Bibliographic metadata or reference record checkedInspected Stanford University Press / De Gruyter partner catalog record and book description; whole book not read.
- [1]Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance (institutional bibliography record). Row, Peterson and Company (1957; Stanford Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences). https://casbs.stanford.edu/theory-cognitive-dissonanceArchive or library record. Work, edition, or catalog record.Edition, title-page, or archive record checkedInspected Stanford CASBS institutional bibliography record confirming 1957 publication and original Row, Peterson imprint.
- [3]Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/12-3-attitudes-and-persuasionReference work. Historical or biographical context.Primary text or passage readSelected What is Cognitive Dissonance? paragraphs and reduction strategies read, not the whole chapter. Supports the introductory theory description; does not replace reading the 1957 monograph.