'Cognitive Dissonance Theory and Racism'

'Since the ambit of affectionate psychological science first began its investigation into the phenomenon of racism and impairment, a number of solid theories withdraw been constructed in an attempt to in effect abstractize preconception and provide metaphysical shrewdness into the heterogeneous ship canal in which we as a society, mortals, and psychologists be to do change this sizeable global issue. much(prenominal) social psychological theories include: dominating Personality Theory, The defeat Aggression Hypothesis, Realist battle possibility, Social identity operator Theory, Social tuition theory, Social lore and cognitive interference theory. Each of these theories has provided a priori insight into sundry(a) fundamental factors that ar applicable to the formulation, maintenance, and look of prejudice. However, of all the social psychological theories that have attempted to effectively conceptualize prejudice and in so doing develop ways of reducing its grossly harmful effects on the individual and society, Festingers (1957) theory of Cognitive Dissonance seems adept of the most germane(predicate) to the clinical applications of working with racialist individuals, earlier because the theory provides clinicians with both significant conceptual and practical insight into ii of the primary feather psychological elements that ar most relevant to the functioning of assist clients change their racist or prejudicial viewpoints in treatment, namely the relational process that exists between an individuals cognitions and the behavioral consequences that follow as a result. \nThe theory of cognitive dissonance, match to Festinger (1957), postulates that pairs of cognitions can be either relate or uncor think to one another. If twain cognitions are related to one another, they are considered then to be either harmonic or dissonant. For two cognitions to be conformable one essential follow at once from the other; they a re considered dissonant if the opponent of one cognition follows from the other....'