Question

Sarah believes that it's important to reduce meat intake for environmental and health purposes. Recently, however, she has been eating meat with every meal. She feels pretty guilty about this behavior. What psychological phenomenon is she experiencing? Explain your answer

Based on that phenomenon, list three distinct ways she can get rid of the guilt (you must use the three distinct ways to address this psychological phenomenon

Answer 1

Sarah is experiencing Cognitive Dissonance. This is a psychological phenomenon that occurs when there is a conflict between a person's beliefs and their actions.

Three distinct ways that Sarah can get rid of the guilt caused by cognitive dissonance are:

1. Change her behavior: Sarah can reduce her meat intake to align with her beliefs. This will help her to reduce the cognitive dissonance and feel less guilty.

2. Change her beliefs: Sarah can change her beliefs about the importance of reducing meat intake. This will help her to reduce the cognitive dissonance and feel less guilty.

3. Rationalize her behavior: Sarah can rationalize her behavior by finding reasons why it is okay to eat meat with every meal. This will help her to reduce the cognitive dissonance and feel less guilty.