ipl-logo

Cognitive Dissonance In Dystopian Society

1553 Words7 Pages

Cognitive dissonance is by definition the ¨state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs or attitudes (McLeod, Simply Psychology) which produces feelings of discomfort.” In order to dispel those feelings the brain leads a person to alter the thoughts, beliefs or attitudes that are in disagreement with the rest, restoring the brain to harmony. When we humans have a thought or commit an atrocity that goes against our morals or long standing beliefs we either apologize or justify the action, telling ourselves that the person we hurt deserved it and brought it upon themselves. We continue to search for justification until we no longer view ourselves as in the wrong. This mental capability has, in my opinion, been the leading agent in nationś wars and oppression against others. The most prominent being attempts to stamp out races because of their so called ¨inferior race/ heritage¨. Mental dissonance is also an ingredient in many dystopian societies …show more content…

This idea comes into play often when choosing leaders to follow. If a person promiseś us one thing that we crave but while achieving that for us will do things we do not believe morally right we force ourselves to focus solely on that thing we want and overlook what we don´t. In our minds we are justifying the leaderś actions as necessary because they lead to our ¨prize¨, an example of cognitive dissonance effects.. This is especially true in ¨Lord of the Flies¨ when the boys desert Ralph to join Jack. Ralph is a natural leader and commands respect having ¨a stillness about [him]¨ that ¨marks him out¨ (Golding, 22) from the rest of the boys. He is clever in the way he handles different personalities; giving Jack control of the hunters to ease his ¨mortification¨ (Golding, 23) over not being elected chief, and thinks not just of the immediate future but of how to survive and eventually be rescued. The boys choose him as

Show More
Related
1091 Words | 5 Pages

The author states that the one of the many flaws in a democracy is the fact that people have the right to vote without having knowledge on the subject. He understands that people make decisions based off their morals, not on the knowledge they have on a subject. Keohane adds that as a self-defense mechanism people, when they are faced with a mental conflict that occurs where their beliefs or assumptions are contradicted by new information; this is called cognitive dissonance. He goes on to explain the theory of motivated reasoning, which is where people have two facts presented to them where one fact contradicts their principals, and they end up choosing the fact that is closest to their ideals. According to Keohane people with higher self-esteem are more likely to acknowledge new information than people with insecurities.

Read More
1895 Words | 8 Pages

The Painted Idol: Jack’s Rise to Power[gfbvnmj in Lord of the Flies “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.” (Abraham Lincoln) Every man has a natural thirst for power and the opportunity to have an impact on his world and his life. This is natural and has led to many great things throughout history, as many virtuous people have harnessed it for benevolent purposes, but just as many have fallen to its influence, which inevitably brings destruction in its wake. William Golding’s allegorical novel, Lord of the Flies, illustrates how man can be tempted, seduced, and defiled by power and potential for an impact. It does this through Jack’s creation of the mask and use of it to hunt but

Read More
1183 Words | 5 Pages

When faced with adversity, those who preserve their integrity while adapting to their environment emerge the most successful. To preserve one’s integrity is to be honest and have strong moral principles. In the book The Lord of the Flies, William Goulding suggests that adversity will reveal inherent morals, and the willingness to remain a man of integrity. Goulding reveals how abandoning one’s integrity leads to the deterioration of one’s mental health, but also how an abundance of integrity can lead to disastrous consequences. Goulding illustrates how Piggy’s refusal to adapt leading to his eventual death, Jack’s liberation from his morals leading to near insanity and Ralph’s ability to remain in the middle of the spectrum was all due to their

Read More
1143 Words | 5 Pages

His ego clouds his vision in what is right and wrong, and therefore he resorts to actions no human with good conscience would do. This is shown when savages from Jack's tribe are praising Jack for being a "proper chief". "He's going to beat Wilfred." "What for?" "...

Read More
675 Words | 3 Pages

Although he managed to fool the people, it’s clear to the reader he is more of a problem starter opposed to a problem solver. He as well as the other characters, was obsessed with his reputation and partaking in actions that would make him appear as a more dominant male

Read More
530 Words | 3 Pages

Kyla Buchanan Reading 12-15-16 Period:8 Compare and Contrast Jonas”s dystopian society was irregular and judgemental. In this essay I’m going to compare and contrast his dystopian society with modern day. There are many ways they were alike and different in the text. In the first paragraph, I’m going to contrast Jonas’s society with modern day. Then, In the second paragraph I’m going to contrast modern day with Jonas’s.

Read More
1088 Words | 5 Pages

Democratic power can be used to control a society, as well as establish a closeness as civilians. To lose sight of this can mean the corruption of a civilization caused by the lack of order. One’s choice of independence in order to better the chances of their survival requires complete dedication and willingness to risk. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Ralph loses his democratic power due to his failure to ensure survival and protect the boys as a leader. Ralph’s failure to lead the group is due to his initial and chronic independence and inability to compete with Jack’s followers, accounted for mainly by fear.

Read More
725 Words | 3 Pages

With injustice and cruelty running rampant in the world, it is unsurprising that people become determined to make things better for tomorrow. The cliché saying that the ends justify the means is often quoted by those aware of the moral greyness of their actions. Commendable yet unreasonable, leaders whose sole purpose in life is to fix what they see as “wrong” with the world fall prey to thinking there is only ally or enemy. In the long run, they harm those they try to liberate.

Read More
881 Words | 4 Pages

Similarly, in the article “Why do People Follow the Crowd” reported by ABC News, studies reveal the portrayal of people fearing the fact of being wrong when faced against a whole group that supposedly has a different plan. While taking tests, determining the mental state people have when they are told different ideas, the committee found that,” people actually believe what others [tell] them not what they [were seeing] with their own eyes” (ABC 26). This portrays how people naturally want to fit in the crowd even though they know it might not be the right choice to make. Because this is apart of human’s nature, people can conflict bad habits and ideas upon others, causing unfortunate events to occur causing the whole community to perish due to a silly mistake. Even though they might be sure of an answer in this case, they still aren’t positive, which causes them to start doubting themselves, therefore changing their mindset.

Read More
898 Words | 4 Pages

“Stuff your eyes with wonder, he said, live as if you 'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It 's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories. ”(Bradbury 82).

Read More
1674 Words | 7 Pages

Two trap stories Essay Many authors around the world use stories to reveal part of human nature, but when the reader compares it to other stories a whole new conclusion can be made about human nature. This is true for the stories “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding and “The Giver” by Lois Lowry. Both trap stories have significant comparisons that prove, when absolute power is given to one person, that person can take away everything from the others, but there is always a good person that can overcome that challenge. The “Lord of the Flies" and “The Giver" are full of similarities that can declare human nature.

Read More
1369 Words | 6 Pages

Material dissonance would refer to the 10 - year war in its entirety, while cognitive dissonance refers to the internal war that one experiences due to conflict between ideals and

Read More
663 Words | 3 Pages

While Jack wanted to hunt for his own enjoyment and amusement, Ralph was thinking of others and what they could do to get rescued. Ralph was a natural born leader because he stayed civilized and had that value remain with him while making decisions and getting off the

Read More
915 Words | 4 Pages

Obedience and Emotion "Rules are the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men" (Harry Day). Although boundaries and guidelines are important for the success of a society, it is also invaluable to know the gift of freedom. If one is foolishly obedient and follows only the orders they are given, there is no growth for their future. People will start to become robots and will never learn some of life's most crucial lessons.

Read More
496 Words | 2 Pages

Although Jack was the most natural leader and Piggy was probably the smartest of the group, the boys voted Ralph as their chief. Jack’s jealousy is evident after Ralph is chosen as chief when he “disappeared under a blush of mortification” (Golding 23). In the first days and weeks on the

Read More

More about Cognitive Dissonance In Dystopian Society

Related Topics

Open Document