Suppose You Are in the Middle of Your Senior Year

question 189

Essay

Suppose you are in the middle of your senior year at school. An election comes up for the new student representatives to the school senate. The candidates are mostly sophomores. If elected, these students will have powerful votes in the senate on matters that affect the student body. Do you have an incentive to be rationally informed?

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Definitions:

Festinger

A psychologist known for his theory of cognitive dissonance, which suggests that people experience psychological discomfort when holding two or more contradictory beliefs.

Cognitive Dissonance

A psychological phenomenon where an individual experiences discomfort due to holding conflicting beliefs or attitudes, leading to an alteration in one of the beliefs or attitudes to reduce the discomfort.

Reducing Techniques

Strategies or methods used to decrease anxiety, stress, or other negative emotional states.

Bem's Self-Perception Theory

A psychological theory suggesting that people often infer their own attitudes and feelings from observing their behavior and the context in which it occurs, rather than initially recognizing inner attributes as the cause.