Will PETA Persuade You With Cognitive Dissonance? | The Odyssey Online

Powered by RebelMouse

Start writing a post

Will PETA Persuade You With Cognitive Dissonance?

Are you uncomfortable enough to change yours ways?

Jennifer McNaughton

Oct 25, 2016

Johns Creek, Georgia

645

Will PETA Persuade You With Cognitive Dissonance?

The Inspiration Room

On October 6, 2016, PETA aired its newest commercial just before the Canadian Thanksgiving. This commercial showed a little girl saying a prayer before she and her family ate their Thanksgiving meal, but it wasn’t your typical prayer. The young girl stated, “Dear God, thank you for the turkey we’re about to eat and for the turkey farms, where they pack them into dark, tiny little sheds for their whole lives. And special thanks to all the chemicals and dirt and poop that’s in the turkey we’re about to eat.” She continues to say more shocking things as her family gasps and cringes. The purpose of this commercial was to make society aware of the awful treatment of turkeys, experience cognitive dissonance, and turn vegan in protest.

Recommended for you

Cognitive dissonance is when a person is in a situation and they experience conflicting attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors that cause them to feel uncomfortable. This theory was developed by Leon Festinger back in 1957 who stated that people “have an inner drive to seek consistency and are motivated by uncomfortable feelings to adjust our attitudes to relieve the conflict.” Cognitive dissonance is a strong factor because nobody likes to feel conflicted with their own beliefs, so they justify everything.

When people watched PETA’s commercial, they most likely experienced cognitive dissonance. On one hand, Thanksgiving is a fun time of year where they eat delicious food with their close friends and family, but on the other hand, eating that delicious food is condoning the inhumane treatment of turkeys.

The Canadians watching this commercial probably felt very conflicted, and most likely reacted to the cognitive dissonance in one of three ways. First, they could fall victim to their inner turmoil over the inhumane treatment of turkeys and vouch to not eat turkey anymore. Second, they could attempt to justify it by saying “I’m just one person, and if I eat one turkey, it’s not that big of a deal.” Lastly, they could quickly change the channel to avoid watching the rest of the commercial altogether.

PETA was smart when incorporating cognitive dissonance into their commercial strategy because it not only pulled at the viewer’s heart-strings, but it made them feel personally conflicted.

Did you experience cognitive dissonance after watching this video? Which way did you react to it? Let us know in the comments!

Report this Content

This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is What I Hope Heaven Feels Like

By: James McDonald

22275

an image of taylor swift standing center stage surrounded by her backup dancers in elegant peacock esque outfits with a backdrop of clouds and a box rising above the stage the image captures the vibrant aesthetics and energy of her performance during the lover era of her eras tour

StableDiffusion

A three-and-a-half-hour runtime. Nine Eras. Eleven outfit changes. Three surprise songs. Zero breaks. One unforgettable evening. In the past century, no other performer has put on an electric performance quite like Taylor Swift, surpassing her fans ‘wildest dreams’. It is the reason supporters keep coming back to her shows each year. Days later, I’m still in awe of the spectacle ‘Miss Americana’ puts on every few days in a new city. And, like one of Taylor’s exes, has me smiling as I reminisce about the memories of the night we spent together.

Keep Reading...Show less

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

Miami University

82444

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less

Why Your Astrological Sign May Not Match Your Personality

We are all more than just one sign.

SUNY Plattsburgh

24119

Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

9613

Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.

Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less

The Importance Of Being A Good Person

An open letter to the good-hearted people.

Sacred Heart University

74635

Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.

WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less

Facebook Comments