Comparative Book Covers

VS.

Cognitive Dissonance

In 1959, psychologist Leon Festinger was studying cognitive dissonance; a theory, which dictates, “Human beings have a natural propensity to avoid psychological conflict based on disharmonious or mutually exclusive beliefs.” Festinger proved his theory by conducting an experiment, in which he asked participants to perform dull tasks, like turning pegs on a doorknob, for an hour.  Participants were then paid either one dollar or twenty dollars for completing the task. It was found that when participants were asked to explain to a “waiting participant” how interesting the job was people who received $20 felt they had been “sufficiently justified,” while those who were only paid $1 felt they had to justify themselves and their time spent by making the task seem more meaningful. This concluding that people commonly tell themselves lies to make the world seem like a more logical and harmonious place.

I used Festinger's theory as the secondary source in my ISU essay, comparing The Book of Negroes and Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker. I found his theory very interesting, that we as humans feel the need to justify our actions not only to others but to ourselves. 

Oedipus Rex Complex

The Oedipus Complex was created by Freud, he states that the complex stems from the desire to kill ones father and sleep with the mother. This complex in found in young males, whom are  jealous toward their father; as if the two were in a competition for the mothers love and affection. This is merrily a stage in the child's psychosexual development. The complex was named after the character Oedipus in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, who in fact does kill his father and marry his mother. This phase ends when the child identifies and bonds with the parent of the same sex, or when the young boy becomes frightened of his father when he realizes that he is stronger. Freud considered the development past the Oedipus stage "the most important social achievement" in the human mind. However, I do not believe that Oedipus fits into this complex because he was much older then his primary years, and had no idea that he had killed his father or married his mother. Therefore, I believe that calling the theory, The Oedipus Complex is fitting but not accurate.

"What Does Freud's Oedipal Complex Mean?" About.com Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. <http://psychology.about.com/od/oindex/g/def_oedipuscomp.htm>.