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Cognitive Dissonance, Employee Motivation

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I need help with these questions with citations and references added to the response of 150-200 words:

What is cognitive dissonance? Who invented it? Give a business and at least one personal example of having used cognitive dissonance.

Assess the impact of goal-setting on employee motivation. What principles and concepts of goal theories are in place at your workplace?

According to Reeve (2009), motivation comes from our self, others, understandings, experiences, and different methods of thinking. Telling others what to do or how to act, behave, or do one's job is easier than doing it one's self. Many times people expect one thing and behave in another way causing confusion, judgment, and consequences.

People have double standards for themselves and others regardless of who, what, where, and when. Everyone at some point has done and still does this. It is just looked at and thought about differently. The behaviors we do and use does not always reflect our beliefs causing judgment, confusion, and emotional stress at times.

Can you think if anything that you believe and behave differently with for any reason? Do you think people will ever behave only on their beliefs and not for other reasons?

According to Reeve (2009), "removing, reducing, adding, or increasing the importance of the consonant belief" will help with conflict with beliefs and behaviors (p. 276). People can reduce the affects conflicts have and reducing the conflict all together. The way people see others depends on the situation, circumstances, understandings, and feelings involved. You can take someone who is normally very friendly and depending on their mood, understanding, and beliefs they can seem or come across mean. People should never judge others without getting to know them first. People do not always show how or what they are feeling.

When we act differently than people expect they are surprised and have presumptions that are wrong, misleading, and confusing. When we act differently for whatever reason we cause confusion and a reality check for others. People assume and judge others without knowing. I have been told I am to nice and when I come across as mean it takes people off guard and they become more fearful because they fear what I will do which causes confusion. Showing others the real or true you is always the best but at times we are not the real us depending on who we are around, circumstances, and situations.

What are your thoughts? What do you think people can do to help their selves if they do not want to change their beliefs?
What do you think you can take from motivation and teach, educate, or incorporate in to yours and others lives? How could you help others understand motivation and cognitive dissonance?

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Solution Summary

This detailed solution defines cognitive dissonance and its inventor. It gives a business and personal example of using cognitive dissonance. It also assesses the impact of goal setting on employee motivation, and the principles and concepts of goal theories in place at work. It describes a case in which we act differently than we believe, and why this occurs. Includes examples and APA formatted references.

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What is cognitive dissonance? Who invented it? Give a business and at least one personal example of having used cognitive dissonance.

Cognitive dissonance is used to describe the "feeling of discomfort that results from holding two conflicting beliefs" (Cherry, 2013). Leon Festinger originally suggested the theory in 1957, based on the thought that we hold many beliefs about the world and ourselves and at times these beliefs may clash. This clash results in a state of tension or discomfort called cognitive dissonance that motivates us to reduce or eliminate the clash of beliefs, thus reducing the sense of discomfort.

In business, one may be forced to do something that they personally find unsettling. This is true in the case of the grocer who must sell cigarettes, despite a personal aversion to the product. The grocer may reduce the discomfort they feel by justifying selling cigarettes because of the margin the product produces.

A personal example I have is of a friend I have. I spend a great deal of time with this person but I know that he does not always tell me the truth. This bothers me but I justify the relationship ...

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