"By Faith Alone": Religious Agitation and Cognitive Dissonance

Abstract

In two experiments, we tested the hypothesis derived from cognitive dissonance theory (Festinger, 1957) that dissonance reduction attenuates dissonance-related negative affect. Using a belief disconfirmation paradigm, we found that participants given an opportunity to reduce dissonance through transcendence (Study 1) or through maintenance of their threatened beliefs (Study 2) experienced less negative affect than did participants not given an opportunity to reduce dissonance. These results contribute to two relatively neglected areas of research on dissonance theory: the role of affect in the dissonance process and alternative modes of dissonance reduction.