Cognitive dissonance in groups: the consequences of disagreement

• Published in: Journal of personality and social psychology Vol. 88; no. 1; p. 22
• Main Authors: Matz, David C, Wood, Wendy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.01.2005
• Subjects: Analysis of Variance; Attitude; Cognitive Dissonance; Dissent and Disputes; Emotions - physiology; Female; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Male; Peer Group; Persuasive Communication; Students - psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires

As L. Festinger (1957) argued, the social group is a source of cognitive dissonance as well as a vehicle for reducing it. That is, disagreement from others in a group generates dissonance, and subsequent movement toward group consensus reduces this negative tension. The authors conducted 3 studies t...