Social Psychology Principles in Shrek Thesis

A person in a state of cognitive dissonance will strive to look for ways of reducing the dissonance he or she is feeling since it is uncomfortable. Reducing cognitive dissonance may entail a change in behavior, modification of perceptions, or addition of a cognition that is consistent with a person's behavior.

Cognitive dissonance is demonstrated in the movie Shrek in the scene where we see Shrek struggle with his feelings for Fiona. He tries to deny the attraction that he is feeling towards Fiona. He tries to convince himself that he is not worthy of Fiona because he is an ogre and she is a princess. In this process, he is trying to settle the dissonant thoughts in his head. When he finally decides to show his feelings to Fiona, he has a flower he intends to give her and we see his uneasiness in trying to settle the dissonance in his head.

Cognitive dissonance helps us understand our own behaviors and feelings when we encounter change. There is a certain kind of uneasiness that we feel which we try to appease either by changing our minds or by changing our behavior.The movie Shrek gives us an opportunity to look closely on how social-psychological principles operate since the movie is also-based to a degree, on how people act and react in real life.

References

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