discussion

Assume that an individual engages in behaviors that are in conflict with their stated religious beliefs, and they experience dissonance. What impact might this have on their beliefs? What might allow people to productively resolve that dissonance?

When dissonance is encountered, one will pursue a means to reduce the adverse effect that usually accompanies the dissonance. Individuals that have engaged in behavior which conflicts with their religious beliefs, therefore, try to use compromise and self-justifications. If said behavior relates to sexual orientation, for instance, the people affected may alter their religious beliefs so that they may be able to justify their chosen lifestyle. There may, therefore, be a reluctance to change behavior to reduce dissonance, meaning that it is the religious beliefs that will somehow be altered to allow for dissonant behavior to continue to be maintained. Consequently, self-justification becomes a method that individuals may use to productively resolve any dissonance they may experience between their behavior and the religious beliefs onto which they hold. People will try, whether consciously or unconsciously, to do whatever is in their power to ensure that they justify their current behavior and reduce dissonance (Meladze and Brown, 2015).

References

Meladze, P. & Brown, J. (2015). Religion, sexuality, and internalized homonegativity: Confronting cognitive dissonance in the Abrahamic religions. Journal of Religion and Health. 54(5), p1950-1962. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-015-0018-5