PSY 3140: Social Psychology Assignment on Cognitive Dissonance

This assignment explores the concept of cognitive dissonance within the framework of social psychology, specifically focusing on the issue of poverty in America. The student begins by outlining the pervasiveness of poverty and its associated challenges, such as overreliance on government support, homelessness, and crime. The student argues for the importance of poverty eradication, highlighting the benefits of a poverty-free population. The assignment then details the student's personal actions in addressing poverty, including educating others, lobbying for opportunities, and using social media to raise awareness. The student reflects on the consistency between their attitudes and behaviors, asserting that there is no dissonance between their beliefs and actions. The assignment concludes by emphasizing the role of cognitive dissonance and conformity in influencing individual behavior and attitudes within a group setting. The student references relevant academic sources to support their arguments.

Running head: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 1
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
Name of Student
Institution Affiliation

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 1
Poverty in America
Societies encounter different issues which largely determine the quality of life lived by
their members. For the American society, Poverty is one of the most pervasive issues affecting
the country’s population. Debate has been raging on for years about the role of the government
and other stakeholders in eradicating poverty in the United States of America.
Poverty among a wider population comes with multiple social and economic challenges.
My support for the eradication of poverty is therefore based on the advantages that our country
will get from a poverty-free population. Statistics from the US Census Bureau estimates the
number of people living in poverty in USA to be about 40 million (Cranley, 2019). Some of the
disadvantages that come with this huge population include overreliance on government support
programs, homelessness, and rise in violent crime. The eradication of poverty would therefore
save the government huge sums of money spent in support programs and provision of temporary
shelters to the homeless. It would also reduce social vises such as violent crime.
Poverty eradication needs to be dealt with through a collaborative approach. On a
personal level, I use my knowledge to educate other members of the society on the importance of
giving a helping hand to the less fortunate. I also use my networks to lobby for income
generating opportunities for the poor in the society. I have also made use of social media
advocacy to create awareness about the shortcomings of poverty in the American society.
Dissonance occurs when a person encounters situations or believes that contradict their
personal beliefs and values.. As captured in the first paragraph there is absolutely no dissonance
between my attitudes and behavior on the poverty eradication debate
Besides, I have demonstrated consistency on my opinions regarding the importance of the
eradication of poverty in the American society. This is based on my strong conviction that an

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 1
economically endowed society would be more productive and functional than a poverty stricken
society. Therefore, I am strongly convinced that my opinion on this topic has not changed after
writing this essay.
Cognitive Dissonance is a common phenomenon encountered by individuals in their
usual interactions with others. It arises where there is a mental discomfort cause by conflicting
beliefs attitudes and behaviors. People may often change their behavior when working in a group
due to external pressure. This is what is referred to as conformity (Berry & Holloway, 2017).
Cognitive dissonance may make a person more prone to conformity because of the desire to fit in
or match in terms of opinions and views with the people around them. It may therefore make an
individual to forego their initial perceptions and believe and hold on to believe and perceptions
held by the majority so as not to be judged harshly by the rest. Cognitive dissonance makes it
easy for a person to be influenced particularly due to the stress caused by holding to two
contradictory beliefs.

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 1
References
Berry, A., & Holloway, L. J. (2017). Pressure of Conformity and Its Effect on Cognitive
Dissonance. EC Psychology and Psy-chiatry, 2, 50-59.
Cranley, E. (2019). This is what poverty looks like in the US right now. Pulse.ng. Retrieved 19
February 2020, from https://www.pulse.ng/bi/politics/this-is-what-poverty-looks-like-in-
the-us-right-now/c9zh53x.