Bob is forced to take a job as a used-car salesperson to make ends meet.Bob likes to think that he is an honest person,but he finds himself selling defective automobiles to unsuspecting customers.Bob is likely to experience _____,which probably will be alleviated by _____.
A)cognitive dissonance;believing in the quality of the cars he sells
B)cognitive dissonance;accepting the fact that he has always been a dishonest person
C)a stereotype threat;being extremely honest to all his customers
D)the actor-observer effect;believing that his customers are also dishonest

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Bob is experiencing cognitive dissonance because his actions (selling defective cars) conflict with his belief in being an honest person. To alleviate this discomfort, he might start to justify or rationalize his behavior by convincing himself that the cars he sells are of good quality. This is a way to reduce the perceived inconsistency between his behavior and beliefs. Note that B is not a correct answer because there is no evidence to suggest that Bob has always been a dishonest person. C and D are also not relevant to the scenario described.

Bob Is Forced to Take a Job as a Used-Car