Is it considered cognitive dissonance if, for example, I don’t like this person because he’s very irritating and I’m always thinking unkind thoughts about him although I don’t show it outwardly and just try to avoid him, but then he goes and does a nice thing like send me flowers when I’m sick, causing me to feel majorly guilty and wondering if I should try to stop disliking him?
Sounds like you are on the threshold of cognitive dissonance. You haven’t quite decided yet, but that feeling of guilt may drive you to cognitive dissonance.
Or you might just conclude that irritating ppl can do nice things, just like nice ppl can be irritating. ;)
@Sheylara: I’m with Mince Pye on this one. Just appreciate the gesture for what it is, a nice thoughtful thing that someone has done for you. Even if you do continue to find the person irritating, heh:)
Er… okay. Thanks for your answers! :P
Hey i’m just a random person who chanced upon your blog.
I would think that(if wikipedia is to be trusted), that the determining factor in whether one has cognitive dissonance is the intrinsic desire to categorize, in this case, the person as good or bad. I am not sure if this decision making needs to be carried out rapidly(say, a few hours) and whether it is permanent.
I think a safe bet would be to ask yourself if you want to make a decision or if you wish to continue hedging on which side you should choose to be on. If you feel that you are determined to pick a choice, whether it is rational or not, then it may be cognitive dissonance.
P.S. Will try and get back to you asap. Thanks for showing me this concept btw. Even though it might be unintentional..