Justifying our Own Counter-normative Behaviors as a Route for Hypocrisy Reduction? Dissonance and Transgressions Identification

Résumé 0

Induced hypocrisy is based on the combination of two factors: commitment (advocating a socially desired position) and mindfulness (being made mindful of one’s failure to act in accordance with the advocated position). Making people aware of their own transgressions arouses a psychological discomfort (dissonance) they will reduce through a behavioral change in line with the advocated normative position (hypocrisy effect). Two studies tested the following hypothesis: the description of the transgressions (that is, the paradigmatic situation) should arouse dissonance (and so the behavioral change) whereas the justification of the transgressions allows the reduction of dissonance, rendering behavioral change less necessary. As expected, study 1 shows that the hypocrisy effect was solely observed in the description condition. In study 2, participants reported more psychological discomfort and anxiety in the description condition than in the justification condition. Results are discussed in terms of action identification.