Gary's mother tells him that he must complete his homework before he goes out to play.Gary does not like to disobey his mother,but he really wants to play.He tells himself that he can disobey his mother just this one time without feeling guilty as she has been mean to him lately.In this scenario,Gary changes his attitude to fit his behavior to reduce _____.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Gary experiences cognitive dissonance, which is a state of discomfort that occurs when a person's behavior conflicts with their attitude or beliefs. In this case, Gary's attitude is that he should obey his mother, but his behavior is to disobey her. To reduce this discomfort, he changes his attitude to justify his behavior.

Gary's Mother Tells Him That He Must Complete His Homework