A democratic country, one that only works with involvement from the citizens thrives of what is now as democracy. Democracy only works for the citizens if the citizens vote representatives and politicians in place, making the country run by the people for the people. It has suffered a bad issue of people not voting, past and present making the government run by those in power for the people in power. The opportunity to influence, trying to persuade Saddleback Community College kids has been presented and using the method of Cognitive Dissonance, a few fellow students created a podcast trying o persuade them to vote in the next up and coming election.
Cognition is defined as, “ the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.” (2018 deintion.com) and the definition of dissonance is, ‘a tension or clash resulting from the combination of two disharmonious or unsuitable elements.”(definition.com) Combine those two words and by the Social Psychologist, Leon Festinger, The Theory of Cognitive Dissonance was formed in 1957.
Festinger came up with this theory after he proceeded to realize that people like to ensure themselves that what they believe with correlate to their behaviors and actions set forth those mindful morals. Cognitive dissonance is an imbalance of people’s thoughts and actions. In this project, cognitive dissonance was used as a method for persuasion. The goal was to persuade the students of Saddleback College to vote in the next up and coming election. Cognitive dissonance was used to an advantage of making the students question their morals and beliefs providing facts while guiding the questioning of their actions to vote or not to vote.
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Putting a halt to a conflicting decision is when cognitive dissonance comes into play with an individual. A common example of a person experiencing cognitive dissonance is when they struggle with acholhism. When a person who is an acholic sees liquor, their brain starts to tap into the beliefs they know that if they drink it will be harmful to their physical and mental health but they decide to drink anyways. This shows their personal thoughts or beliefs don’t correspond to the actions they decided to act with. In this case, the action of expressing the students constitutional right to vote by using cognitive dissonance to persuade students will be used.
In order to create a case of why students of Saddleback College should vote in the next upcoming election, an uncomfortable “guilt trip” needs to be planted into the persuasion right way. The precise way to add this by leaving a lasting effect on the student is by implanting thoughts to their existing ones, not wanting to vote. The need to make the individual question their thoughts on the actions they choose to partake in by, not voting, is key so they put the idea in their head that they are counteracting the morals they already believe. The need to make the individual question their thoughts on the actions they choose to partake in by, not voting, is key so they put the idea in their head that they are counteracting the morals they already believe.
Adding in facts like millennials, college students, account for one-third of the electorate’ https://borgenproject.org/voting-is-important/ shows that the students contribute a big role in the election and not voting will hurt the effects and outcomes of their up and coming future as Americas. Expressing the right to vote is a way to contribute your own voice. By not voting democracy will not be in place. Our country thrives off the fact that the citizen’s voices are heard. We as citizens get to elect the people we want in office to trust them to make the decisions based on our behalf. If one does not vote their voice was not heard and unaccounted for. The issue may not be affecting the student personally but making them realize that those people who are getting hurt, the student has a chance to help make their lives better. Not voting will cause an imbalance in the democracy of the ones in charge of gaining more power and those that do not vote to have to behave beyond that power.
Our government was built to put those in power who are representing the people that elected those in power. Elective representative on the country and local government should if elected hear those living in your area and act on the issues people want to face. on the behave of the once representing the people. If Americans don’t vote our country will not be a government, “for the people, by the people” which it has turned into, for the people, by the powerful
With election turn out for the presidential elections averaging around a 50 to 60 percent turn out rate, that means nearly 50% of the population’s opinions/votes are not being heard.
For people to say ‘I do not think or care for politics’ is a very strong statement to have. Many people who say that do not understand the way they live on a daily basis is formed around politics. If you get sick, equality in friends of minority groups, or something the majority of Saddleback Community College will understand, student loans and financial aid. This is all formed and created to meet the needs of what the citizens vote for. If everyone didn’t like politics then we would have the people in power who have no idea what it may be like as a student now of days to be making policies and creating norms for our country. We all have a right to vote and let our opinions be heard we just have to utilize our right to let our voices stand.
The last and final way to end the persuasion and leave a lasting thought in the brains of the lasting students using cognitive dissonance is by providing solutions. Solutions pertaining to this persuasion of solutions to voting. Showing people how easy voting can be and how much of an impact it can make for other people and yourself will be the main way to end the conversation of persuasion. The goal is to seek out the change of mindset the students have with voting. Adding in easy ways to register and vote is key when attempting this step. The one thing that will ruin the persuasion is leaving the listener with discomfort and guilt. The intent is to let them become motivated and change their dissonance in a positive realm of voting in the next up and coming election.
Leading them to resources such as vote.org and votesaveamerica.com to help them gain knowledge of who they are voting for and information on where you can vote and express your American right. What if a student comes with the notion that they do not like either of the candidates running for the presidential appointment? There is a lot more than just voting for the president of the united states that makes a difference in the voting elections. This is the local government that will directly affect you if the person who gets elected is not meet with your needs or beliefs. Early voting has become an option for many states and there are mail-in ballots which are useful if you cannot make it to the polls. People have their excuses not to vote such as, I do not have to vote on election day or I do not want to vote for any of the candidates running.
Generally, people feel guilty when other people are hurt on their behalf. Not voting does just that. With the persuasion using the theory of cognitive dissonance by using their inconsistency beliefs and thoughts to the advantage of changing their perception of not voting to vote we hope we can conjugate more voters throughout the Saddleback students. Questioning their actions of not participating in a country set up for contribution to create democracy across the United States will hopefully resonate that voting is an import part of being a United States citizen.
