'Cognitive Dissonance Theory and Racism'

'Since the field of affable psychology first began its investigating into the phenomenon of racism and injustice, a number of substantive theories extradite been constructed in an attempt to effectively conceptualize impairment and provide metaphysical discernment into the divers(a) slipway in which we as a society, respective(prenominal)s, and psychologists atomic number 18 to serve up change this sizable global issue. such social mental theories include: imperious Personality Theory, The foiling Aggression Hypothesis, Realist interlocking possible action, Social personal identity Theory, Social discipline theory, Social learning and cognitive fraudulent scheme theory. Each of these theories has provided hypothetic insight into motley fundamental factors that ar germane(predicate) to the formulation, maintenance, and facial expression of prejudice. However, of all the social psychological theories that have attempted to effectively conceptualize pre judice and in so doing develop ways of reducing its grossly harmful personal effects on the individual and society, Festingers (1957) theory of Cognitive Dissonance seems whizz of the most pertinent to the clinical applications of functional with racial individuals, in the main because the theory provides clinicians with both(prenominal) significant conceptual and practical insight into 2 of the radical psychological elements that argon most relevant to the action of luck clients change their racist or prejudicial viewpoints in treatment, videlicet the relational process that exists between an individuals experiences and the behavioural consequences that follow as a result. \nThe theory of cognitive dissonance, gibe to Festinger (1957), postulates that pairs of cognitions can be either cogitate or uncor colligate to one another. If cardinal cognitions are related to one another, they are considered then to be either sympathetic or dissonant. For two cognitions to b e agreeable one mustiness follow presently from the other; they are considered dissonant if the inverse of one cognition follows from the other....'