
A Macat Analysis of Leon Festinger's A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $6.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Macat.com
About this listen
Why do we want to justify our decisions, even if they appear to be irrational? The answer lies in cognitive dissonance, the mental discomfort we experience when we hold two contradictory beliefs at the same time. In A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance, first published in 1957, American social psychologist Leon Festinger investigates the problem. In what another social psychologist, Bertram Gawronski, has called "arguably one of the most influential theories in the history of social psychology", Festinger puts forward the idea that we have developed mechanisms to try to deal with the stress brought on by cognitive dissonance. So we change an existing attitude, alter its relative importance, or add new ones to create logic in our choices. This can explain the way we rationalize a decision after it's been made or why we justify our actions after the event, even if we were forced into them.
Research on dissonance has been very important in encouraging sociable behavior, promoting healthy habits, and reducing prejudice.
©2016 Macat Inc (P)2016 Macat IncListeners also enjoyed...
-
A Theory of Human Motivation
- By: Abraham H. Maslow
- Narrated by: Troy W. Hudson
- Length: 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
US psychologist Abraham Maslow’s A Theory of Human Motivation is a classic of psychological research that helped change the field for good. Like many field-changing thinkers, Maslow was not just a talented researcher, he was also a creative thinker - able to see things from a new perspective and show them in a different light. He studied what he called exemplary people such as Albert Einstein, Jane Addams, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Frederick Douglass rather than mentally ill or neurotic people.
-
-
Great narration. Poor editing.
- By Low Key on 04-26-22
-
A Macat Analysis of Friedrich Nietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morality
- By: Don Berry
- Narrated by: Macat.com
- Length: 1 hr and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the Genealogy of Morality was written in 1887 when Friedrich Nietzsche was at the height of his powers as a philosopher and master of German prose writing. Here, he criticizes the idea that there is just one conception of moral goodness, dissecting the contemporary practice of morality and looking at it from a historical viewpoint. Rather than following a metaphysical or religious approach, Nietzsche adopts a naturalistic framework, which is grounded in history and natural science, to understand our concepts of good and evil in the Christianized Western world.
By: Don Berry
-
The Art of Thinking Clearly
- By: Rolf Dobelli
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A novelist, thinker, and entrepreneur, Rolf Dobelli deftly shows that in order to lead happier, more prosperous lives, we don't need extra cunning, new ideas, shiny gadgets, or more frantic hyperactivity - all we need is less irrationality. Simple, clear, and always surprising, this indispensable audiobook will change the way you think and transform your decision making - at work, at home, every day.
-
-
Major Downer
- By Daniel Ales on 01-22-20
By: Rolf Dobelli
-
I Know What to Do, So Why Don't I Do It?
- The New Science of Self-Discipline
- By: Nick Hall
- Narrated by: Nick Hall
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You might think laziness, lack of willpower, and/or low motivation are to blame for the fact that you aren't achieving your goals. But fascinating research in the field of psychoneuroimmunology has revealed another, far more likely possibility. One with the potential to transform your life in a dramatic way.
-
-
Big Disappointment!
- By TP on 01-29-15
By: Nick Hall
-
Analysis: A Macat Analysis of Michel Foucault's Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison
- By: Meghan Kallman, Rachele Dini
- Narrated by: Macat.com
- Length: 1 hr and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How do those in power exercise that power over a state's citizens? French thinker Michel Foucault's 1975 work Discipline and Punish looks to answer this question by investigating the prison system. Foucault does not believe that the modern-day system developed out of reformers' humanitarian concerns. He argues that prison both created and then became part of a bigger system of surveillance that extends throughout society.
-
-
Disappointed. Macat Analyses are usually better.
- By Amazon Customer on 05-30-19
By: Meghan Kallman, and others
-
On Becoming a Person
- A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy
- By: Carl R. Rogers, Peter D. Kramer MD - introduction
- Narrated by: Joe Hempel
- Length: 14 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The late Carl Rogers, founder of the humanistic psychology movement, revolutionized psychotherapy with his concept of "client-centered therapy." His influence has spanned decades, but that influence has become so much a part of mainstream psychology that the ingenious nature of his work has almost been forgotten. With a new introduction by Peter Kramer, this landmark book is a classic in its field and a must-listen for anyone interested in clinical psychology or personal growth.
-
-
An introduction to the core humanistic issues
- By Amazon Customer on 04-08-18
By: Carl R. Rogers, and others
-
A Theory of Human Motivation
- By: Abraham H. Maslow
- Narrated by: Troy W. Hudson
- Length: 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
US psychologist Abraham Maslow’s A Theory of Human Motivation is a classic of psychological research that helped change the field for good. Like many field-changing thinkers, Maslow was not just a talented researcher, he was also a creative thinker - able to see things from a new perspective and show them in a different light. He studied what he called exemplary people such as Albert Einstein, Jane Addams, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Frederick Douglass rather than mentally ill or neurotic people.
-
-
Great narration. Poor editing.
- By Low Key on 04-26-22
-
A Macat Analysis of Friedrich Nietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morality
- By: Don Berry
- Narrated by: Macat.com
- Length: 1 hr and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the Genealogy of Morality was written in 1887 when Friedrich Nietzsche was at the height of his powers as a philosopher and master of German prose writing. Here, he criticizes the idea that there is just one conception of moral goodness, dissecting the contemporary practice of morality and looking at it from a historical viewpoint. Rather than following a metaphysical or religious approach, Nietzsche adopts a naturalistic framework, which is grounded in history and natural science, to understand our concepts of good and evil in the Christianized Western world.
By: Don Berry
-
The Art of Thinking Clearly
- By: Rolf Dobelli
- Narrated by: Eric Conger
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A novelist, thinker, and entrepreneur, Rolf Dobelli deftly shows that in order to lead happier, more prosperous lives, we don't need extra cunning, new ideas, shiny gadgets, or more frantic hyperactivity - all we need is less irrationality. Simple, clear, and always surprising, this indispensable audiobook will change the way you think and transform your decision making - at work, at home, every day.
-
-
Major Downer
- By Daniel Ales on 01-22-20
By: Rolf Dobelli
-
I Know What to Do, So Why Don't I Do It?
- The New Science of Self-Discipline
- By: Nick Hall
- Narrated by: Nick Hall
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You might think laziness, lack of willpower, and/or low motivation are to blame for the fact that you aren't achieving your goals. But fascinating research in the field of psychoneuroimmunology has revealed another, far more likely possibility. One with the potential to transform your life in a dramatic way.
-
-
Big Disappointment!
- By TP on 01-29-15
By: Nick Hall
-
Analysis: A Macat Analysis of Michel Foucault's Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison
- By: Meghan Kallman, Rachele Dini
- Narrated by: Macat.com
- Length: 1 hr and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How do those in power exercise that power over a state's citizens? French thinker Michel Foucault's 1975 work Discipline and Punish looks to answer this question by investigating the prison system. Foucault does not believe that the modern-day system developed out of reformers' humanitarian concerns. He argues that prison both created and then became part of a bigger system of surveillance that extends throughout society.
-
-
Disappointed. Macat Analyses are usually better.
- By Amazon Customer on 05-30-19
By: Meghan Kallman, and others
-
On Becoming a Person
- A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy
- By: Carl R. Rogers, Peter D. Kramer MD - introduction
- Narrated by: Joe Hempel
- Length: 14 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The late Carl Rogers, founder of the humanistic psychology movement, revolutionized psychotherapy with his concept of "client-centered therapy." His influence has spanned decades, but that influence has become so much a part of mainstream psychology that the ingenious nature of his work has almost been forgotten. With a new introduction by Peter Kramer, this landmark book is a classic in its field and a must-listen for anyone interested in clinical psychology or personal growth.
-
-
An introduction to the core humanistic issues
- By Amazon Customer on 04-08-18
By: Carl R. Rogers, and others
What listeners say about A Macat Analysis of Leon Festinger's A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Taino
- 04-29-23
Analysis of Festinger's Professional Career
As an introductory book to Leon Festinger's life, the book is well prepared. However, adding "Theory of Cognitive Dissonance" in the title is misleading. This is not an analysis of the theory. This is an analysis of Festinger's professional career.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dave
- 06-14-24
Disappointing to see political bias in something that should be strictly educational.
Overall, I found the book to be thought-provoking, and enlightening. Claiming global warming, now "climate change" to be a "universal truth", agreed upon by the entire scientific community is either uninformed, or purposely misleading.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!