Cognitive Dissonance and Propaganda

Cognitive Dissonance and Propaganda
Propaganda and cognitive dissonance go hand in hand when attempting to convince people to think a certain way. Propaganda is influence or suggestion through the manipulation of symbols and the psychology of the individual (Pratkanis 6). Cognitive dissonance is when one holds two opposing beliefs at the same time and wishes to reconcile them and rid oneself of the uncomfortable confusion (Jasper 1). Propaganda plays on this need to have only one view by justifying one argument so that it annuls the other. People want to justify their beliefs so they seek out evidence that supports their beliefs (Smith 1) and propaganda provides a source of information that is simple and straightforward making it easy for people to justify their own beliefs or their conflicting beliefs.
For example in Nazi Germany a citizen may have two beliefs: It is wrong to imprison innocent people and the Government is always right and has the citizen’s best interests at heart. However these two beliefs are in opposition because the Government (who is always right) is imprisoning Jews (who are innocent). These conflicting beliefs cause the citizen to experience cognitive dissonance which will make him uneasy. Therefore he will go out looking for information that will reconcile his beliefs. This is where propaganda comes in to play. Propaganda is simple, straightforward, and persuasive. If our citizen sees anti-Semitic propaganda that portrays Jews as criminals and the source of the country’s vast social and economic problems then that reconciles their beliefs: Jews are not innocent they are criminals therefore the government is right to imprison them. Then the citizen will ignore any further evidence there might be that points towards the innocence of Jews or flaws in the government because that would create cognitive dissonance again.
In the above example it is easy to see how governments could manipulate their citizens to go to war. Most governments try to foster a sense of nationalism in their people so when it comes to a conflict they can be manipulated by being labeled “unpatriotic”. When a person is labeled as “sexist” or “unpatriotic” when they don’t conceive themselves to be then this creates a state of cognitive dissonance (Jasper 1). This causes them to try “to prove to themselves and others that they are not sexist” (Jasper 1) or unpatriotic by becoming very patriotic or anti-sexist to try to unite the two beliefs (Jasper 1). People are confused when their idea of themselves is different from the way the world sees them. Either they change the way they look at themselves and accept society’s view or they change how others see them. Since most people consider being “unpatriotic” or “sexist” as negative they choose not to accept that label and instead change their ways so as to appear anti-sexist or patriotic. In this way countries can get the most adamant dissenters to support war efforts by accusing them of not loving their country and being unpatriotic. They use propaganda to paint a picture of a “patriotic” person: someone who supports the government and is active in the war effort. In contrast an “unpatriotic” person speaks against the war and the government. They are shown as damaging the country and even helping the enemy. When someone is given a negative label and (when they believe they deserve the positive one) they try to get rid of it by becoming more like the positive label.
An example of this is President Bush, Jr. and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The 9/11 attack had everyone in a patriotic frenzy and they preyed on that, labeling anyone against the war as “unpatriotic”. During this time everyone considered themselves a “patriot” and when they were told they weren’t one they changed their ways to fit the propagandized version of one. This just goes to show that the military or the government will always be able to manipulate people into supporting a war. This doesn’t mean war is inevitable just that no matter how unpopular a war is that there will always be supporters.
Cognitive Dissonance can be used to garner support for conflict within a country due to propaganda. However, it is possible that enough people will see through the propaganda that a war will not happen. Citizens must learn to try to find out the facts for themselves and make informative decisions instead of letting the awkwardness of having conflicting ideas drive them to seek the simple solution of propaganda.


Works Cited
Jasper, John D., Mary Prothero, and Stephen D. Christman. "I’m Not Sexist!!! Cognitive Dissonance and the Differing Cries of Mixed- and Strong-Handers." Personality and Individual Differences 47.4 (2009): 268-72. Print.
Pratkanis, Anthony R., and Elliot Aronson. Age of Propaganda: The Everyday Use and Abuse of Persuasion. New York: W.H. Freeman, 1992.
Smith, Steven, Leandre R. Fabrigar, and Meghan E. Norris. "Reflecting on Six Decades of Selective Exposure Research: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities." Social and Personality Psychology Compass 2 (2008): 464-93. psycinfo-set-c. Web.