Cognitive Dissonance Regarding Dress and Social Responsibility
Cognitive dissonance is defined as the mental stress which an individual experiences when they hold two or more contradictory beliefs simultaneously. When individuals experience levels of dissonance, they tend to be uncomfortable with the situation; most people tend to avoid situations that would result in any cognitive dissonance.
Having grown up watching Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa being documented about their works to help improve the welfare of humanity, it grew into me that helping people should not be used as means to gain profitability in the market. However, as an intern in a multination company which practices social responsibility, I was put in a position to help people to improve the brand image of the enterprise. My ideology of helping people is that it should come from the heart and not as a means to attract more clients. Corporate social responsibility is a tool used by most companies as a means to help improve the brand image as well as reduce the tax obligation depending on the classification of the expenses of the progress.
Cognitive disorder on dress code and social responsibility are so common. Personally, I have experienced the two situations. In cognitive dissonance on dress code has made me believe that what I put on matters a lot. When I have put on suits I have the believe that I look more sharp and intelligent than other people. The same has happened to me when I put on expensive clothing; I expect to gain more cooperation and respect from other individuals. It is important to note that in all these occasions, what I have put on affects other people perception about me but again, it influences my behavior.
Watching a lie being glorified as well as having to partake in the process caused me significant cognitive distress. The mental stress was quite enormous as I was going against my beliefs of helping people. Corporate social responsibility to me ought to be performed to assist those people who are adversely affected by the operations of the company such as nearby residents that have to deal with noise pollution. However, this is not the case with corporate social responsibility in the firm I was an intern. This lead to a conflict of interest internally as part of me wanted to quite while the other part wanted me to complete my internship period.
For me to be effective in the workplace as the practice of social responsibility was implemented, it was vital to come up with a balance to resolve the cognitive dissonance I was experiencing at the moment. Several attempts to address this mental discomfort did not bear any results, but that did not hinder me from attaining a mental balance in the process. The final attempt to solve the issue was accomplished when I had to ignore on the reason for conducting the social responsibility and focused more on the impact the program would have on the people.
A good example of influence created by the media is several awards given to individuals in different fields as a sign of appreciation .Being appreciated for the efforts one places in the field they participate in help improve the welfare of human species since the efficiency of resources is improved, and scientific advancements such as medicine are made. In the long run, the influence of media plays a significant role in the society as the use of the motivational factor helps individuals to do better in their respective fields since they do as they equate the effort put to the reward attained. Individuals conduct more charity works with the hope of recognition rather than with the aim of helping people.
