Cognitive Dissonance Theory - Essay Example

This is a scenario where a person is subjected to conflicting behaviors, attitudes or even beliefs. Such a scenario may lead to cognitive discomfort among the persons affected thus facilitating the alteration of his/her attitudes, beliefs or even behaviors. A real life example of cognitive dissonance may occur when a person addicted to smoking, continues with his smoking act while having the knowledge that it causes cancer. In this case, the act of smoking is the behavior, while the idea of cancer that is caused by smoking is the cognition.

Case: John is a fourth year student with a poor academic performance capacity. However his teachers have attributed his actions towards his behaviors that involves opposing his teachers in any case they try to advise him; sometimes he exhibits rudeness towards his teachers and other students. The teachers suspect that he might be suffering from a psychological disorder owing to the fact that he rarely concentrates in class and has been rude even to the local Sheriff as well as his parents. The teachers have noted that John does not behave normally like other students of his age.

My client suffers from anxiety disorder, characterized by fear of issues that she is to encounter in her future i.e. she sweats extremely in some cases where she has to wait for results such as, exam results et cetera.

Systematic desensitization is a psychological therapy that assists individuals to overcome certain psychological phobias or incidences of anxieties through subjecting the individual to a gradual counter relaxing stimulus.

The client can be subjected to small test i.e. IQ test, and the encourages to wait for results as she is encourages to relax, this can be repeated several times while the client is trained on relaxation techniques i.e. controlling her breathing as well as muscle relaxation techniques.