Effort processes in Cognitive Dissonance Reduction. Motivational Intensity Theory perspective.

One of Festinger’s core assumptions in cognitive dissonance theory was that dissonance reduction is an effortful process whose intensity varies with the magnitude of dissonance. That is, the greater the dissonance, the stronger the motivation to reduce it, and consequently, the greater the invested effort (Festinger, 1957). For many years, this assertion was accepted without direct empirical testing. Moreover, Motivational Intensity Theory (MIT; Brehm & Self, 1989) provides well-established empirical evidence about the factors that determine motivated effort investment and explains why it is inaccurate to perceive dissonance reduction as always, an effortful process. Motivated effort is influenced by various factors, not just motivation, such as the difficulty of the task and the individual’s level of ability (which was incorporated into the original theory by Rex Wright, 1996). I argue that these principles should be applied to any mental activity, including cognitive dissonance reduction. The primary objective of this article is to propose an integration of Cognitive Dissonance Theory by Leon Festinger with Motivational Intensity Theory by Jack Brehm. I believe that this proposed integration significantly contributes to psychological knowledge.