Question

Before Sonya left for college, she told her friend Lacy that she thought sororities were filled with snobs and that she would never consider joining one. During Sonya's first week on campus, a sorority member invited her to a party and encouraged her to pledge. After Sonya attended the party, she told Lacy, "I think some sororities are filled with snobs, but this sorority does a lot of good things for the community. It’s really a service organization." Sonya's sentiments illustrate?

Answer 1

Answer:

Sonya's sentiments illustrate the cognitive dissonance theory.

Explanation:

Cognitive dissonance theory states that individuals feel discomfort when their attitudes and behaviors are in conflict. For the discomfort to be nonexistent, there must be harmony between our beliefs and our reality. If we are introduced to knowledge that imbalances such harmony, discomfort will take place. That is the case with Sonya. She is now trying a common tactic to get rid of the discomfort. She has chosen to explain to herself and others that that one sorority is an exception, but other sororities are still filled with snobs. By doing this, Sonya finds balance between her beliefs and the reality she has just discovered.

Answer 2

Answer:

Cognitive dissonance

Explanation:

Before Sonya left for college, she told her friend Lacy that she thought sororities were filled with snobs and that she would never consider joining one. During Sonya's first week on campus, a sorority member invited her to a party and encouraged her to pledge. After Sonya attended the party, she told Lacy, "I think some sororities are filled with snobs, but this sorority does a lot of good things for the community. It’s really a service organization." Sonya's sentiments illustrate cognitive dissonance.

Cognitive dissonance theory asserts that when individuals hold contradictory beliefs about a thing, they experience mental discomfort and to reduce this discomfort, they soft pedal on one of these beliefs. Sonya believed that sororities are filled with snobs, however on joining one, she realizes that even though her earlier belief may be correct, sororities are involved in a lot of positive things, to reduce the discomfort she feels about the conflicting beliefs, she alters the belief that sororities are not totally bad.