Climate crisis, anyone? Understanding cognitive dissonance

Today we're talking about dissonance - our cognitive dissonance.

Using our favorite example: #climatecrisis, anyone?

Here, aspiration and reality diverge ideally in order to be able to explain this human phenomenon wonderfully. The knowledge helps us to deal more consciously with our own (non) actions.

?? The gap between #knowing and #doing is very often large. We all know this well. We are know-it-alls - not do-it-alls ... and -do-it-alls either.

?? Why is it like that and why, against our better judgment, are we making such slow progress with all our modernization projects?

?? We find the answer again in psychology: Most of us are virtually forced to consume CO2. Our life circumstances and contexts are currently so. We are thus permanently in the grip of #cognitive #dissonance.

?? In #psychology, this refers to the unpleasant state that arises when desires, intentions, attitudes and actions do not merge into a harmonious unit. For example, because the desire to be professionally successful on the move cannot be reconciled with the desire to live as #climateneutrally as possible.

?? #dissonance #reduction is our normal reaction, meaning: we keep a moral account (vacation flight goes because I cycle to work) or the problem is simply denied through social comparison processes. #resilience

?? We can only perceive #reality through social comparison processes. What other people do significantly influences how we evaluate our own thoughts and actions. A neighborhood in which everyone drives an SUV is more likely to come to the conclusion that ours doesn't make much difference either.

?? #Individual, #collective, #national ... we always find someone who does even less, á la "China continues to blow much more CO2 into the air than we do. And we do around with a dredged coal village!"

?? For the #psyche, this is good. But it prevents us from feeling obliged to do more.

That #Germany becomes a net zero emissions country, for example, is primarily the responsibility of business and politics.

But we all have a responsibility to ensure that the right laws are passed. We can vote, donate, demonstrate, make appropriate consumption decisions.

#psychology #futureofwork #transformation