托福口语 Task 3

The concept of 'cognitive dissonance' refers to the mental discomfort experienced when a person holds two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or attitudes. This discomfort often leads individuals to rationalize or change their beliefs to reduce the inconsistency. Psychologists suggest that people are motivated to maintain internal consistency and will go to great lengths to resolve dissonance, even if it means altering their original perceptions or justifying their actions after the fact.

Professor: Let me illustrate this with a classic example from my own research. I had a student named Mark who considered himself an environmentalist. He believed strongly in reducing plastic waste. However, one day, he forgot his reusable bag and was in a hurry at the grocery store. He bought a plastic bottle of water. Later, he felt uneasy about it. To reduce this discomfort, he told himself, 'Well, recycling is available, and I'll reuse the bottle for a week.' He even started a small campaign to encourage others to reuse bottles. But the interesting part was that his beliefs didn't change—he still believed plastic waste was bad. Instead, he changed his behavior justification. He convinced himself that his single purchase was an exception, not a violation of his values. That's cognitive dissonance in action.