Question

Jamal's therapist has suggested that Jamal should "act as if" he is confident, even though he feels insecure and shy. Which social psychological theory would best support this suggestion, and what might the therapist be hoping to achieve?

Answer 1

Answer:

Cognitive dissonance theory. The therapist is hoping to create a cognitive dissonance in Jamal in order to make him change how feels and readjust his behavior to build his confidence level as against his usual feeling of insecurity and shyness.

Explanation:

Cognitive dissonance is a social psychology concept that as developed by Leon Festinger. The theory states that, an individual tends to experience inconsistency and becomes tensed when the individual is exposed to beliefs  that contradict their values or beliefs. The individual begins to experience dissonance. To solve this internal conflict, the individual would have to react in certain ways in order to return to consistency and establish a level of comfort.

The therapist suggestion that Jamal should “act as if” he is confident would create cognitive dissonance within Jamal. In order for Jamal to establish a consistency between what he believes about himself initially and what he is being told by the therapist, he would act confident, thereby realigning his values and beliefs with his action. The therapist would succeed in making Jamal view himself as a confident person .