CH 6

In chapter 6 it talked about counter productive work behaviors and really caught my attention. It said that “these behaviors harm employees and the organization as a whole. It also includes theft, white collar crime, absenteeism, tardiness, drugs and alcohol abuse, disciplinary problems, accidents, sabotage, sexual harassment, and violence. “In an article I found its talked about how violence at work are reaching at a high level in some parts of the country. "Bullying, harassment, mobbing and allied behaviors can be just as damaging as outright physical violence," the authors say. "Today, the instability of many types of jobs places huge pressures on workplaces, and we're seeing more of these forms of violence." In a sports team when a team member gets upset and throws a tantrum during practice it can always bring moral down and to cause an awkward feeling to the rest of the team. The only way for a coach to not let it affect the team is to kick that one person out and to let them cool off.
Amble, Brian. Violence at work has reached epidemic levels. 15 Jun 2006. 7 5 2010 .

An answer to the work/family conflict: maternity leave all around the world

Europe is the continent probably most aware of the difficulties of mothers return to work once their baby is born. The prize goes to Bulgaria with 45 weeks. Slovakia provides a total of 28 weeks for the birth of first child. The United Kingdom and Ireland are 26 weeks in theory but the Thatcher era and its liberal practices have left a legacy: nearly half of women renounce part (51% in Ireland, 53% in Great Britain) . Parental leave in Sweden: the dad is spoiled. 16 weeks in France, ten years after the birth as Spain, Austria or Luxembourg, France grants 16 weeks of maternity leave: six before the birth of the child, ten years after. The rule applies to the first and second child but leave extends to the small third. In Canada, which gives 18 weeks, women are free to define the period "before and after. They may even take 16 weeks before and two weeks later, or vice versa, according to the law on labor standards, if they are employed. But many do not take advantage of all, lack of money. Nothing in the U.S. On the other side of the border, the United States, they do not make any effort. They are on a par with Lesotho, Liberia, Swaziland and Papua New Guinea. There are also a number of countries where the law is strictly respectful of young mothers, especially in developing countries, but where the application is more tentative. Especially when just a few tickets to bribe an official of the local labor inspectorate.

Behavioral Components

What caught my attention in chapter 6 was pg 161 where they discuss the affective component, cognitive component, and the behavioral component. These components form a person’s attitude which the book defines as, “a learned predisposition to respond in a consistently favorable or unfavorable manner with respect to a given object.”

The affective component is feelings or emotions that a person will have in regards to a situation or object. This component can be expressed as positive, negative, or neutral if the situation does not influence any emotion. This is an important concept because nearly every situation evokes emotion to some degree.

The cognitive component refers to pre-existing beliefs a person holds regarding a situation. This component influences everybody and is a result of past experiences which have influenced an opinion on the subject. In society, we commonly witness the cognitive component as we see people conform into political and religious groups. This is an obstacle when working in teams because it is hard for people to look past their own beliefs, therefore making it more difficult to come to a consensus.

The behavioral component represents the actions that one will take in a given situation. In many ways, this component has the greatest influence on team moral because it is the most noticeable. Unlike the affective and cognitive components which are related to emotion, this component is visible and harder to disguise.

By breaking ones attitude down into these components, it becomes easier to analyze our impact on others. By acknowledging our positive features and working to change are negative ones, we can become more supportive and efficient when working in teams.

Schwartz’s Value Theory

In chapter six it covers personal values, attitudes, commitment and involvement in the work environment. When reading this chapter I was very interested in Schwartz’s Value Theory. Schwartz’s theory ties together values and motives, specifically saying values are motivational. I agree with Schwartz when he says that values guide one’s behavior. When I looked at Schwartz’s definition of values and motives in table I chose what I thought my personal values were and they were correct in the underlying motives. The first value I looked at was, “power,” which was described as, “control over people and resources.” I thought that this was very true in regard to my social status and how I want people to perceive me. Another value that stood out to me was, “self-direction,” which was described as, “independent thought and action choosing.” I am really self oriented kind of person and decide my own path. I rarely go along with people’s ideas if my thoughts are different. In this theory Schwartz’s provides a clear distinction of values and our behavioral motives that contribute to these values.

Kreitner, Robert. Organizational Behavior. 9th ed. Vol. 1. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2010.

Personal Values

Our personal values and beliefs our instilled in us at a very young age without us having any knowledge until later on in life when we reflect or make a decision and come to the realization that a certain action we committed was due to what our parents taught us, or what we ourselves have learned through our experiences. The book uses Milton Rokeach's definition which states that' "a person's value system is defined as an enduring organization of beliefs concerning preferable modes of conduct or end-states of existence along a continuum of relative importance." That being said all the decisions we make one a day to day basis are an outward representation of our own personal values, or value system. These values are further tested in the work place or when something is asked of them but if carried out that action might conflict with a person's value system. A study done by Julia Underwood, a professor in Azusa University, shows that students values are tested significantly once they graduate and get a job because their drive and ambition for success might result in the sacrifice of their value system, the adoption of maladaptive behavior. She then says that it is such perplexity that should give educator's an incentive to provide their students with an understanding that they must live with the choices they make and hold themselves accountable. Some people compromise their personal values for whatever reason, while others would rather sacrifice their jobs and not their personal values.

Underwood, J., and A. Harrison. "Perfectionist at 20 - Work-life Issues at 40? Personal value systems and Future Implications. " Interbeing 3.1 (2009): 31-36. ABI/INFORM Global, ProQuest. Web. 27 Mar. 2010.

Model of Organizational Commitment

In Chapter six I thought the model of organizational commitment was very interesting. The three components that John Meyer and Natalie Allan came up with are: affective commitment, normative commitment, and continuance commitment. They describe affective commitment as an emotional attachment to an organization. Under this commitment they continue to work for a company because they want to. They describe a normative commitment as a feeling of obligation. An employee with this characteristic may feel that they ought to remain working. The last organizational commitment is continuance in which the employee thinks about the costs associated with leaving a company. If you are working under continuance you remain working at the company because you feel you need to.

Satisfied workers don't mutiny

Job satisfaction is key to maintaining sanity. Workers need jobs that they find interesting and fulfilling. While some managers promote stupid things like "wacky tie Friday" and think that they've done all they can to ensure an insanity-free workplace, it may come as a shock that their employees are on the brink of stabtastic mutiny. "Wacky tie Friday" is like deep-frying tofu: yeah, it's deep fried, but nobody cares. I may be able to wear wacky and tacky ties, but I bet I'd still have to go see HR if I wore a tie with a flaming eyeball on it. That's why those stupid "fun" days at work are just little gimmicks to prevent a mutiny. More popular fun days at work, like "cage match Wednesday," always bring out the best in our hard-working friends in the office. Who wouldn't want to work in an office that turned into Thunderdome every Wednesday?

Pictured- "cage match Wednesday"
(image actually courtesy of http://elireiman.com/journey/Burningman)


Seriously, though...

We've all seen little office satire comics or jokes about how the workplace is a dull and lifeless wasteland of cubicles and (if you're lucky) a little break room where you can make awkward advances at the receptionist. And every so often, corporate higher ups will allow a manager to do something completely insane like let people wear piano key ties to work (gasp...no wait... yawn). Like all stereotypes, this one came from somewhere, and carries a light (but noticeable) load of truth. Office culture normally sucks. There's no other way to put it. When you work at a place with a "corporate lemming" organizational structure, and you work in a small cubicle all day, you begin to lose interest in your awesome data entry job that you bragged to everyone about. Seeing as how you spend eight hours a day in that hellhole, which comprises most of your waking life, you begin to realize that you're fighting a war of attrition with your job, and you're quickly turning into a casualty.


The workplace is a dangerous battlefield
(image courtesy of static.howstuffworks.com)

The reading for this week's post comes from an ancient text unearthed during an archaeological dig in Iceland. The ancient Viking text, called Organizational Behavior, was written by two Viking warlords, whose names roughly translate into English as Kreitner and Kinicki, and was oddly printed in 2008. Because I was able to secure a government grant to study this text, I will now bring you its wisdom.

Sanity on the job is a big deal. As stated earlier, depressed employees can turn to insane ones, and insane ones can turn into stabby ones. But where does the conflict lie? Well, Kinicki and Kreitner talk at great length about the things that can cause conflict in the workplace. Unfortunately, they don't talk a lot about stabby employees (which would have been good for a few laughs), but they certainly talk about important aspects of the workplace and interpersonal relationships that can lead to a stabarrific workplace (which is something to avoid).


This is obviously a stabarrific workplace
(Image courtesy of cartoonstock.com)


Conflict comes in a variety of flavors. You have your classic intrapersonal conflict (internal conflict born from the unholy matrimony of big pipe dreams and a really awful reality), interpersonal conflict (sexual harassment, racism, that dude in the next cubicle who listens to Oprah podcasts without headphones on), and value conflicts with your organization. These are fundamental to job satisfaction.

To some extent, a large portion of this is in the employee's hands. For instance, a wimpy vegetarian that goes an hour out of her way just to eat a "garden burger," probably shouldn't work in franchising operations for Burger King. Having values that are consistent with your company's values is the first step to enjoying your job and not losing your mind. A company that has values that are widely consistent with your own can also lead to having better co-workers, because they will likely share values with you.

Unfortunately, this world we live in is awful, and my rosy picture of the workplace isn't entirely accurate. In reality, there are companies out there who perform necessary services, but there's almost no way in hell to attract energy and creativity for these positions. I am speaking, of course, about mid-level paper sales offices.

(image courtesy of soyeahman.wikispaces.com)

All Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute references aside, think about what the workplace on THE OFFICE would be like without all the time-wasting antics that occur there. It would literally be worse than hell. To be honest, the hijinks of Michael Scott would be one of the only things keeping many of the employees alive. Sitting in that office all day and trying to be productive would literally drive me to commit a terrorist act.

I want to tie this into what I was talking bout before, about what our Viking friends Kreitner and Kinicki say about "Organizational Commitment." In the ancient text (the textbook, if you haven't figured it out yet), they describe this as

"...the extent to which an individual identifies with an organizationa and is committed to its goals. It is an important work attitude because committed individuals are expected to display a willingness to work harder to achieve organizational goals and a greater desire to stay employed at an organization." Pg-166

This applies to almost every business. There are companies out there whose employees are galvanized and focused workers simply because of what the company does or represents. For instance, people working for a company that fights breast cancer or other diseases are motivated to contribute to something bigger than themselves, and in essence, bigger than the company. They believe they are making a difference, and the difference they want to make is reflected in their choice to work for that particular company. People working for companies with whom they share values and goals are more likely to go out of their way to contribute and excel at their jobs. It's not a stretch to assume people working for these companies are happier people overall.

Certain behaviors where people go above and beyond the call of duty are called Organizational Citizenship Behaviors, and they are directly linked to workplace happiness and promotions (according to the book). If you love a company and your values fit nicely together, you're more likely to go out of your way to do extra for the company. This is good for everyone involved, because promotions are really measures of how well you work, and how much people like you. You help the company a little more than anyone else in your division... you get promoted.

A very simple life strategy.

Ch. 6: Job involvement and employee engagement

Job involvement is defined as “the degree to which one is cognitively preoccupied with, engaged in, and concerned with one’s present job. This attitude can depict whether or not a person will have a high performance rate at their job. There is little evidence to support this claim but it is clear why job involvement can directly relate to performance. Individuals who end their work day and feel they have accomplished something positive or a sense of satisfaction from their work, are more likely to produce at a higher rate than others. “Job involvement was positively associated with job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and intrinsic motivation” (Kreitner, Kinicki 169). I agree that job involvement can affect a business and there are several ways management can help employees feel more self-worth from their job. One way a manager can increase job involvement is by providing work environments that fuel intrinsic motivation. People need to be challenged in way that can increase their self motivation, this can be done by giving jobs to be people that handle specific tasks efficiently and correctly. Other people might need new jobs that are more challenging so they do not get bored doing the same routine every day. Little things like this can go a long way in the work place.

Attitude

There are three components the to nature of attitudes, affective, cognitive, and behavioral. You are affected by something based on your specific attitude toward it. The reaction you have about a specific situation something such as Harley riders is an example of the affective component. Your reaction is usually based on cognitive components. These are your beliefs of ideas that relate to past emotions or experiences you have encountered. The behavior components is your actual reaction toward someone of something. If you have been affected by an experience once or multiple times then it become a cognitive attitude towards that specific thing. The final stage is when that evolves into behavior where you might act upon your reactions. There is not much you can do to avoid this because it happens most times without us knowing it. It is natural for us to evolve and create opinions of situation we have been through. Acting on those opinions can be beneficial or cause problems so it is important to stop and look at the big picture.

Personal values

Personal values are both important and necessary in the work place. Without them, a business would have no integrity or reliability, resulting in a loss of costumers. Shalom Schwartz developed a well accepted and comprehensive theory of peoples personal values. Schwartz believes that, “values are motivational in that they represent broad goals that apply across context in time.” For example, if you value power, that same drive to gain power in the work place can also help you gain power in other areas in your life.
Schwartz proposed that behavior is guided by 10 broad values which include: power, achievement, hedonism, stimulation, self-direction, universalism, benevolence, tradition, conformity, and security. Each of these has a definition as well as an underlying motive. I agree with this list, all of these characteristics are desire by people in one way or another. Some people might want a certain trait more than others, yet everyone has a motive.
I did some additional research on what motivates people’s personal values and found that values are taught at a young age and are enforced by your parents, yet as we become adults we take on a bigger responsibility to stay true to our core values. Values can separate as well as bring people together; in life people tend to surround themselves with people with similar morals and values.

Development of Personal Values. Jerry Lope.
http://personaldevelopment.suite101.com/article.cfm/development_of_personal_values

Withdrawal Cognitions - aka Quitting Process

The thing that stuck out to me the most in chapter six was withdrawal cognition, particularly because I went through it at every single one of my jobs. After I read this chapter, I realized it was due to my dissatisfaction with my jobs, and all this time I thought I just get bored of work easily.

Withdrawal Cognition - n. Overall thoughts and feelings about quitting a job. Primary reason is lack of job satisfaction.

I'm sure a lot of us have been through it. Saturday afternoon. Your phone rings. You reach over expecting it to be your buddy giving you the details on tonight's party. Instead, you see a different familiar number. It's your work calling, and you know exactly what they're going to ask before you pick up the phone. "Hey buddy, I was wondering if you could come in to work tonight. Becky called in because she has some stomach virus and Hugo already said no; you're our only shot." Dilemma. Disappoint or be disappointed.

Thus starts the cycle of the withdrawal cognition. Withdrawal cognition is exactly how we feel when we first get that call, or a sudden schedule change, or a denial on a day off request. If the feeling and thoughts continue, you will most likely quit. Normal feelings due to crappy job conditions. But there is a cure, an antidote available for employers to combat employee withdrawal cognition. Improve job satisfaction. Simple theory that is rarely practiced.

I tried to find additional sources for withdrawal cognition, but my only results were of Cognitive Impairment in Acute Cocaine Withdrawal

Chapter 6

When describing the workplace in casual conversation, very rarely is the term job satisfaction defined. When it comes to organizational behavior on the other hand, a clear definition is necessary when examining happiness in the workplace. Chapter 6 defines job satisfaction as "an affective or emotional response toward various facets of one's job. With that said, the book explains that its very common for an individual to be very satisfied with one aspect of their job but completely dissatisfied with another aspect. The Journal of Vocational Behavior defines job satisfaction as "a psychological state resulting from the evaluation of one’s job experiences , has occasionally been conceptualized in the stress literature as a strain that is reverse-scored' (Webster 68). Both definitions describe job satisfaction as state of being; therefore, there is a great possibility that state of being can be changed.
Chapter 6 states the five "Causes of Job Satisfaction" as: need fulfillment, discrepancies, value attainment, equity and dispositional/genetic components (Kreitner 172). The book discusses these five aspects in detail and explains in an easy to follow model that provides insight into a variety of techniques that can be used to increase workers job satisfaction. The article titled "Toward a Better Understanding of the Effects of Hindrance and Challenge Stressors on Work Behavior" discusses the Job Descriptive Index (JDI)that is discussed in Chapter 6 as well. The article classifies job satisfaction under five categories: work, pay, promotions, coworkers, and supervision. When these five elements work together in harmony an employee is satisfied (according to Cornell University). Researchers at the University of Minnesota would argue satisfaction can be classified under 30 categories.

Webster, Jennica. "Toward a better understanding of the effects of hindrance and challenge stressors on work behavior." Journal of Vocational Behavior. 76.1 (2010): 68-77. Print.

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 discusses job satisfaction in depth. I feel like job satisfaction is very important. Only 20% of people are passionate about their careers. I want to be in that 20%. I feel like money is less important than job satisfaction. Without being happy with what you're doing with your life, the pay is less significant. I believe it is important to have a balance between being happy in your career and making a good income. In a job where you can be happy, you will theoretically work harder and more efficiently, which usually means promotion and higher pay.

"Some recommendations are:

– Become self-aware. Gaining an objective understanding of your abilities, preferences values and interests is a fundamental

step in determining the best career fit.

– Benchmark the type of work you perform in your organization with comparable work in a similar organization.

– Identify what is detracting you from your job satisfaction.

– Learn how to talk to a manager about what is satisfying in your work or identify roles/responsibilities that

are appealing.

– Develop a relationship with a career counselor who can provide objective feedback on career expectations."

While some people cannot control their job satisfaction, some can. Job satisfaction affects the worker's motivation. This makes it very important, in addition to the previously mentioned. I think that this is a matter that should be more widely discussed and considered.

sources: www.careervision.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2010. .

Chapter 6

The Causes of Job Satisfaction

The textbook discusses the five predominant models of job satisfaction. 1) need fulfillment 2) discrepancy 3) value attainment 4) equity 5) dispositional/genetic components. By knowing these models, one can try to increase job satisfaction. The need fulfillment model basically says that the more a job is able to fulfill the needs of its employees the more satisfied the employees will be. The discrepancies models are all about met expectations being correlated with job satisfaction. If expectations are greater than what is actually received by an employee then that employee will be dissatisfied. But if what is received by an employee exceeds his/her expectations then that employee will be satisfied with their job. Value attainment is about an employee's perception that his/her job allows for fulfillment of one's work values. Equity is about how an employee feels they are being treated in comparison to the other employees. If all employees feel they are treated equally then employees are more satisfied. The last model which is dispositional genetic components, states that job satisfaction is partyly a function of both personal traits and genetic factors. I also found an article that talked about another factor that affects job satisfaction. It is role stress; role stress is caused from "an individual's experience of receiving incompatible or conflicting requests (role conflict) and/or the lack of enough information to carry out his/her job (role ambiguity)." The article talks about the affects of role stress and how it is correlated with turnover rates at jobs.

Anton, Concha. "The impact of role stress on workers' behaviour through job satisfaction and organizational commitment." International Journal of Psychology 44.3 (2009): 187-194. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 16 Feb. 2010

Intentions

According to the Ajzen Model Theory of Planned Behavior, intention plays a key role in how attitudes and behaviors are formed. The model offers three factors that determine intention: attitude toward behavior, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. The stronger the factors, the more likely the action will be performed.

An example of this is shown in a study conducted by Abrahamse, et. al. in: "Factors influencing car use for commuting and the intention to reduce it: A question of self-interest or morality?" In this study, researches attempt to predict the behavior of commuting in response to environmental and traffic problems. The results revealed the following:

"Car use for commuting was mostly explained by variables related to individual outcomes (perceived behavioral control and attitudes) whereas the intention to reduce car use was mostly explained by variables related to morality ([subjective] norms). The study also found that perceived behavioral control moderated the relation between personal norms and behavioral intentions: stronger [subjective] norms were associated with stronger behavioral intentions, but only when perceived behavioral control was low." (Abrahamse, et. al.)

This all ties in to the organizational structure of the workplace. Having a solid foundation can lead us to predict positive behavioral intentions and attitudes, whereas weak foundations may push people to believe that they can get away with more negative actions.

Source: Abrahamse, Wokje, et al. "Factors influencing car use for commuting and the intention to reduce it: A question of self-interest or morality?." Transportation Research: Part F 12.4 (2009): 317-324. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 16 Feb. 2010.

Chpt 6

Chapter discusses job satisfaction. I have personally witnessed the struggles my parents have gone through in their careers, and therefore I can completely understand the importance of being happy with your job. The thing that seemed most difficult for my father as a bank manager was dealing with the people he worked with. The development of positive relationships with co-workers is crucial to success, and this can be very difficult at times. The text referred to interpersonal value conflicts. These conflicts can make or break job satisfaction, especially when one's held values greatly contrast with management. This is called value attainment, and when it is not achieved, cognitive dissonance is the result. A person who supports values of teamwork and openness and who feels as though employees are hindered from working together will not appreciate the situation. The result is that the person becomes secluded from others and disliking of their job. Besides maintaining healthy work relationships, Entrepreneur.com says one other way to improve job satisfaction is by giving workers responsibility, and letting them accomplish it successfully, rather than micromanaging employees, which causes dissatisfaction. Overall, job satisfaction is an important factor when determining the success of a company.

:) Employees = :) Bottom Line

:( Employees = :( Bottom Line

Kreitner, Robert. Organizational Behavior. 9th ed. Vol. 1. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2010.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/humanresources/managingemployees/motivationandretention/article70060.html

What are the pros and cons of conducting an employee survey during a bad economy?

-       Pros

. A survey can reassure the employees: the company does not forget them and shows them that it is still present even in a bad time

. The employees can express what they expect from their company in such a period

. They can feel more involved in the company life

. This is a way for the company of showing that it has values and that it is transparent: it dares facing the problems and is not afraid of the employees’ point of view

-       Cons

. Some employees can find this hypocritical: it can be badly interpreted

. A survey can be considered as intrusive in the employees’ life

. The employees can be badly influenced by the crisis period and not answer very honestly

Chapter 6

According to our textbook, cognitive dissonance is a psychological discomfort experienced when attitudes and behaviors are incongruent, or do not match. I tried to do more research about how this affects the people’s ability to function in the workplace. I found out that cognitive dissonance plays a big role, especially when it comes to learning a new task. According to an article by Mutarika Pruksapong, “People are usually accustomed to and less willing to step out of their comfort zone. If the new knowledge makes them feel uncomfortable to learn, they are unlikely to neither commit to learning of such new knowledge nor be involved in action” The author continues on to say, “Negative attitude puts the required initial acceptance for change movement at difficulty.” (Pruksapong)

This made me think about how a team works, in the workforce and even inside our classroom. It reminded me of our first few days, trying to come up with the class rules. It also made me think about the upcoming months, working with our groups. These thoughts made me agree with Pruksapong. It does not matter if we think we can do well as a group if our attitudes are negative. To be able to work well together, we need to have an open mind and attitude. This is the only we can make change for the better.

Source:

Pruksapong, Mutarika. "Organizational Member Learning and the Influential Factors." 7 October 2008. 12 February 2010 .

“The Motivation Triangle”

In the article, “Motivating the Project Team” by James R. Chapman, he discusses the objectives necessary for good group dynamics and what sort of things he tries to do as a team manager. For, example, he makes sure that all team members realize the importance of their individual assignment for the whole team success. Although he monitors stress among members of his team, he also makes sure that each member has a variety of assignments to be completed so that if they get bored with one, they can work on something else for a little while. It is important for employees understand the importance of their work and know they are valuable to the team. Another crucial element of team success celebrating the small accomplishments a team achieves as it moves towards the completion of a project. He terms such accomplishments “mini-milestones”. This helps to keep team morale up and encourages members.

Chapman also offers this advice: “Find out what each team member win conditions are, and try to make these part of the project goals”. This includes such conditions as what their career goals are, what they would like to personally improve, and what concerns they would like to address/ what they would like to avoid. In this way, the team can not only reach a successful conclusion on their own project, but individual members are dedicated to the project and enjoy the process. This leads to higher employee satisfaction, which is important, as our textbook explained: about 9% of a company’s profit is wasted on employees who declare sick days when they are actually burnt out, not ill. If a team’s goals can somehow incorporate members’ personal goals, members are motivated to work harder and feel a greater sense of pride in the work that they do.

Source:
Chapman, James R. "Motivating the Team Project." Priciple Based Project Management: Information and Training Site. 26 Feb 2007. Web. 13 Feb 2010. .

Chap 6

According to the book, cognitive dissonance is defined as “the psychological discomfort a person experiences when his/her attitudes or beliefs are incompatible with his/her behavior. This topic interested me because the topic was brought up in my marketing principles class. There are three ways to reduce cognitive dissonance, the first once is to change your attitude or you behavior, or both. The second is to belittle the importance of the inconsistent behavior. And the third is to find consonant elements that out weight the dissonant ones. An example of this would be a Christian supporting gay marriage, even when their church clearly is against it. The change in their attitude and behavior would be that they voted no on Prop 8 even though that person’s church preaches of a one man one woman marriage only. Although they previously agreed with the church, that person now sympathizes with same sex couples and the troubles they go through for equality. They belittle this behavior by saying that everyone deserves equality, even people who don’t agree with that person’s beliefs. In order to justify their act, the persons rationalizes that if they were ever in situations like same sex couples are, they would want someone to sympathize with them enough to agree with their point of view.

According to Grohol (2008), that the greater discomfort a person feels, the greater desire that they have to reduce the cognitive dissonance. If someone’s actions contradict their beliefs, then they will typically change their beliefs to align with their actions or vice versa. Levels of dissonance vary from people to people; people who favor higher levels of consistency in their lives are more affected than those who need less consistency in their lives. The author also calls cognitive dissonance as a type of lie because it can possibly reinforce future bad decisions. This article helped me to better understand some of the affects of cognitive dissonance, and that levels of cognitive dissonance depends greatly on the person, their personality, and their level of self-awareness.

Works Cited
Grohol, John M. "Fighting Cognitive Dissoanace & The Lies We Tell Ourselves." 19 October 2008. PsychCentral. 12 February 2010 .