Estabilidade emocional, atribuição de causalidade e dissonância cognitiva

• Autor(a) principal: Niffinegger, Rogerio
• Data de Publicação: 1984
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional do FGV (FGV Repositório Digital)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10438/9624
• topic: Psicologia; Atribuição de causalidade; Psicoterapia; Dissonância cognitiva; Maturidade emocional

This study considers the theories of attribution of causality and cognitive dissonance in reference to the psychic need of self-consistency. A review of the main theoretical and empirical aspects of these theories allowed the conclusion that they can be considered mutually compatible and complementary. An experiment was conducted in which the subjects, previously differentiated in two groups, one emotionally stable and the other emotionally unstable, were submitted to an experimental condition highly dissonant with the self-concept (solving seven items of an intelligence test in which five of them were insoluble). As introductory task of the same nature of the experimental one was performed although with soluble items of medium difficulty. The number of correct solutions expected and estimated were measured before and after each task, respectively. After the experimental task each subject was asked to choose a reason that concurred for the estimated result, from an attributional listing. The results indicated no significative difference between the averages of estimated results of the two groups after the experimental task. Although the attributions of causality were significantly different, the emotionally stable one leaning toward internality while the emotionally unstable group tented towards externalization. However, a rather significative difference between the averages of the expected results were identified before the introductory and experimental tasks, the unstable group average being lower than that of the stable group. These results were interpreted as indication of an intensive and precocious dissonant experience among the unstable group subjects at the level of expectancy of results. The reduction of dissonance occured predominantly as an underestimation of the number of correct answers expected in the two tasks proposed. The most comprehensive conclusion from this study put in evidence the great importance of the personal meanings over the perceived stimuli for elicitation of responses. New studies were suggested for a better understanding of this matter.