Introduction
The field of social psychology deals with how people feel, think, and behave in social situations by examining individual behavior and group dynamics. The closely interweaving social psychology concepts of cognitive dissonance, self-handicapping, and self-preservation theory are crucial in understanding how people and communities operate. Cognitive dissonance refers to people’s mental discomfort when one of the beliefs, behaviors, or attitudes contradicts another (Harmon-Jones & Mills, 2019). Self-handicapping is a behavior where people intentionally set themselves off for failure to preserve their egos in case of future loss (Schwinger et al., 2021). Handicapping is closely related to another social psychology concept of self-preservation theory which argues that individuals hide their negative characteristics and display the positive ones (Popova et al., 2021). Understanding the concepts, how they demonstrate themselves in day-to-day activities, and how they interweave with each other in complex social situations could positively impact growth and productivity.
Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive dissonance is a social psychological concept that influences behavior change since the individual is forced to change one of the habits and have them align with the other. It arises from various sources, including maintaining a positive image, conflicting attitudes, and social pressure. A person’s symptoms of cognitive dissonance include anxiety, guilt, discomfort, and stress. People deal with this dissonance by applying various techniques, such as trivializing the issue and looking for new information to support and change their beliefs. Cognitive dissonance has many applications, from influencing decision-making to attitude change and persuasion. I believe that cognitive dissonance causes discomfort and tension. Therefore, it would be better if they quickly solved the problem by changing their beliefs or seeking new information that rationalizes their existing views.
An example of cognitive dissonance occurred in college when a coursemate was asked to do a project against his ethical beliefs. The task involved him writing an essay on a topic he disagreed with. He knew that failing to complete the work would harm his grades, but he also could not support the ideology in the essay, making him struggle to finish it. This experience made him have cognitive dissonance, an experience that, as he later narrated, made him change his opinions, and he can now write about concepts he does not agree with. The case narrated above made the coursemate change his beliefs, showing that cognitive dissonance can alter one’s beliefs and behavior.
The situation above involves a college student who experienced cognitive dissonance when asked to complete a project against their beliefs. Cognitive dissonance applies to this narrative since the student experiences conflict between their beliefs and behavior. In this case, the student changes after writing the essay since they learn that their opinions may be flawed. This concept is related to cognitive consistency theory, which states that people will likely maintain consistency in their behavior, beliefs, and attitudes.
Self-Handicapping
When individuals fail, they sometimes offer excuses to preserve their self-esteem, a behavior called the self-serving condition. However, sometimes people sabotage their performance in the future through lack of effort, illnesses, and procrastination, a behavior called self-handicapping. Self-handicapping serves a person’s ego well but generally leads to poor performance and habits (Schwinger et al., 2021). People can set themselves up for failure in various ways, such as failing to study for exams or not practicing for spots because they wish to avoid being included in the sports team. In the work context, self-handicapping may result in missed deadlines, sub-quality services, and losses (Schwinger et al., 2021). My understanding of self-handicapping is that it limits one’s ability to avoid responsibility in various tasks.
I have had several personal experiences with the self-handicapping concept, and one memorable event happened when I was taking my final exams in college. I had wasted most of my semester going out to social events and procrastinating, and I had not prepared for the exams as well as I should have. When I knew that the exams were near, I freaked out, and instead of picking myself up and studying at the last minute, I started going to my friend’s house and drinking heavily before the tests. While I understood that this queer behavior would result in me performing terribly in my exams, I also knew that I could blame the drunkenness for my failure and not my lack of ability.
The behavior I demonstrated in the case above rates the concept of self-handicapping. This social psychological concept could have many negative impacts on a person’s life. In my case, narrated above, it resulted in lowered grades and a lack of responsibility. The concept of self-handicapping could explain my behavior in this context. I was getting the drug and not revising for the exams since I knew that revising and failing would blow my ego. In creating an obstacle, I knew that my behavior could be attributed to an internal factor rather than an external one. I was also afraid of failure; therefore, by creating a self-made obstacle, I reduced the pain associated with it.
Self-Preservation Theory
The self-preservation theory states that individuals will likely present themselves favorably to others and hide their negative aspects and traits. Kruger (1999) observes that people view themselves as better than the average person in most situations and are likely to express themselves in a manner that fits their beliefs. It closely aligns with the theory of planned behavior, where people consider how others will perceive their attitudes, norms, and intentions (Ajzen, 1991; Agerström & Rooth, 2011; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1974). The primary way in which people achieve self-preservation is by highlighting their strengths and downplaying their weaknesses. Self-preservation is closely interlinked with moral hypocrisy, which is the motivation to appear moral but avoid the costs of being moral (Batson et al., 1997; Batson et al., 1999). Self-preservation is a common social phenomenon that is easy to find in real-life examples and case studies.
As I understand it, the self-preservation theory relates to humans wanting to protect their inner selves. The theory resonates with me since I often need to elevate my current status to where I should be. Many actions people aim to protect themselves from situations that threaten their self-esteem. An example of self-preservation theory happened when I took a photo I did not like. The image presented features I never wanted to display on social media, so I did a phone editing where I changed my skin color, texture, and even hair color. The picture never looked like me, but someone far better looking. Nonetheless, I posted it on social media, gaining many likes and comments. Displaying a positive image in the eyes of people, many of whom did not know me, was a demonstration of self-preservation.
Having to edit my photos can be explained through self-preservation theory, which states that individuals strive to protect their sense of self. In this case, if felt that the original image did not present a positive image and threatened my self-esteem. Therefore, by editing the image, I increased the likelihood of positive reviews that would ultimately boost my self-esteem. The narration provides a clear example of how self-preservation manifests in day-to-day life.
Interweaving of Concepts
Cognitive dissonance, self-handicapping, and self-preservation theory interweave and interact in complex real-life social situations. For instance, the cognitive dissonance theory states that people feel discomfort when one of their behaviors contracts with the other (Harmon-Jones & Mills, 2019). Therefore, to reduce the impacts of cognitive dissonance, people could choose to self-handicap in one of the beliefs and have an excuse for their future actions. Self-preservation theory states that individuals emphasize their positive aspects and ignore the negative ones (Popova et al., 2021). Self-preservation could make people self-handicapped since they hide their weaknesses and thus cannot be helped. If they realize their preservation is causing a handicap, they will experience self-dissonance since they have two conflicting beliefs.
Conceptualizing the interaction between social identity theory, self-preservation theory, and self-presentation theory could result in improved relationships and decision-making. First, knowing how social identity shapes behavior, people could work towards creating more inclusive social structures. Likewise, by understanding self-preservation concepts, individuals can know the degree to which their communication should be self-preservation-centered. A general understanding of cognitive dissonance in collaboration with the two other theories could empower people to appreciate its importance and the best decision a person should make under such a dilemma.
Conclusion
Social psychology concepts play a critical role in fostering an understanding of how people behave, think, and act in social situations and interweave in complex social issues to influence decision-making. The explained concepts of cognitive dissonance, self-handicapping, and self-preservation theory are some of the most relevant theories of social psychology. Therefore, understanding the concepts in theory and practical contexts could help individuals and organizations make good decisions.
References
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