As young adults, we go through various changes that occur rapidly in our lives. We graduate from high school and start making the most challenging decisions in our lives, like what school we are going to, what degree we are going to get, and maybe finding a person to marry. Discovering who we are and who we are to become may be challenging as we begin to develop our moral compass. One major factor that impacts this process is our cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is “the mental discomfort that results from holding two conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes. People tend to seek consistency in their attitudes and perceptions, so this conflict causes unpleasant feelings or unease or discomfort.” This article will describe various signs of cognitive dissonance, give examples, and discuss the impact that it has on AU students.
We all experience some type of cognitive dissonance, some more than others. Some of the signs that individuals might experience include: experiencing apprehension prior to making choices or taking action, striving to justify or explain decisions or actions taken, grappling with self-consciousness or regret about one's actions and trying to keep them hidden, confronting feelings of guilt or remorse from past endeavors, and engaging in activities due to societal pressures or a fear of missing out. Examples of cognitive dissonance include: 1) Wanting to be healthy but not regularly exercise or eat a nutritious diet, making you feel guilty. 2) aspiring to increase your savings, but often you spend more than you receive, which leads you to regret spending money. 3) When you have an extensive list of tasks to complete, but instead of tackling them, you devote your day to enjoying your favorite shows. You don’t want your parents to know, so you do minimalistic work just to get a passing grade on midterms.
As we reach a particular stage in life, we start formulating our unique set of morals and values to serve as our personal compass. However, due to deeply ingrained values we inherited from our parents, it becomes challenging to align our actions with these newly established principles. Establishing a fresh foundation of beliefs, while rooted in generations of pre-existing convictions, becomes a source of significant inner conflict, resulting in cognitive dissonance.
As students at Andrews University, we find ourselves in a cognitive dissonance battle with our morals and values. Our parents may have required us to participate in church activities. Still, now that we are at Andrews, we feel like we must participate in church services even though we do not want to because we notice that involvement in church does not give us the same excitement and joy as when we were younger. Or we grew up in a household that did not support our mental health, and now that we are at Andrews and have the opportunities to improve our mental health, however we do not actively seek it because of cognitive dissonance. As we progress through our college years at Andrews University, the struggle between adhering to inherited values and forging our own moral compass becomes increasingly pronounced. The tension of cognitive dissonance is palpable, compelling us to reevaluate our beliefs, engagement in church, and the pursuit to improve aspects of our lives that are more important to us now. We are confronted with this intricate process of self-discovery and identity formation that will impact our future.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.