The theory of cognitive dissonance is something that I have often incorporated into my life with out even realizing what I was doing. When I have found myself doing things that do not fit with what I know I, or I have an opinion that does not fit with the other opinions I hold can sometimes cause extreme stress and confusion in my head. When I finally read about what cognitive dissonance was I began to realize that this particular concept is one that I use in everyday life. The fact that I know smoking cigarettes is bad for my health is one area in my life that I have observed this theory. For example, I can emphasize new cognitions such as "I only smoke in my car and not anywhere else" or "I need to relieve some stress after taking a difficult exam". These new cognitions allow for the lessening of dissonance, and I now have multiple cognitions that say just one cigarette is okay, and I only have one cognition which says I should not smoke. I attempt to resolve this inconsistency by changing my attitude or altering my behaviour to reduce tension in my mind. When I make justifications for my thoughts or actions I use the self-affirmation theory as a way to preserve my sense of self. Resolving a conflict within me is something that I do in order to elevate my self image and self esteem. The self-affirmation theory is interesting because I know so many people myself included, that do this. "Well, I know I am not very good at algebra but I am brilliant when it comes to cooking. The idea that one can improve their self image by reminding themselves of other unrelated but cherished aspects of their self concept is something that should be practiced on a daily basis. I tend to be extremely hard on myself and feel that when I am not performing at an optimum level that I have somehow failed in an area of my life and must quickly compensate for my mistakes.
             A new idea that struck me was "counterfactual thinking&qu...