The Third Lego in the Lego Box

The theory of cognitive dissonance has been used as a means of manipulating people for probably 3 or 4 thousand years. Perhaps even more. It was best-articulated in 1957 by the famous psychologist Leon Festinger. Quite simply, it states:

(1) There may exist dissonant or "nonfitting" relations among cognitive elements;

(2) The existence of dissonance gives rise to pressures to reduce the dissonance and to avoid increases in dissonance;

(3) Manifestations of the operation of these pressures include behavior changes, changes of cognition, and circumspect exposure to new information and new opinions.


Over the past 50 years psychologists, sociologists, marketers, churches, and many, many other people from many, many fields have tested and built this theory into an engine that fuels both campaigns to change the behaviors of the masses and research conducted by graduate students.

For me, the most interesting part of this theory is the idea that people seek out media sources consonant with their existing beliefs, be it news or ads, so as to feel better about decisions they've made or ideas they've bought into.

In the 1960s, researchers such as Freedman and Sears concluded that selective exposure as a result of cognitive dissonance was really just a bunch of hooey. As a result, the theory was thrown on the academic scrap pile (apparently with the F-scale, according to one of my reviewers) and lay dormant for a while. But that didn't stop selective exposure from making a comeback. Cable TV and Internet exploded on the scene in the 80s and 90s; these days we are FORCED to select media and a growing body of research is beginning to explain how and why.

Selective exposure, however, is a different Lego. The Lego at hand is cognitive dissonance. Though it may not fit my dissertation like a glove, it is indeed a noteworthy Lego, and actually sparked the exploration of selective processes as pertain to media consumption. It may not play a significant role in my dissertation, but knowing its background is important for understanding the current status of selective exposure theory.