Cognitive Dissonance Reduction Strategies Through Designing Mental Representation

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study investigates the impact of re-recognizing the consumption goals of hotel products and services in reducing cognitive dissonance and maintaining consumption intentions. We analyzed responses from a total of 712 participants, with 356 completing a questionnaire on re-recognizing retrospective consumer goals and 356 on re-recognizing anticipatory consumer goals. This study reports that retrospective re-recognition of consumption goals in the process of consumers experiencing cognitive dissonance is less effective in reducing cognitive dissonance than in anticipatory consumption goals. In addition, when re-recognizing retrospective consumption goals in utility-oriented consumer goals, the cognitive dissonance of emotions decreases the most compared to cognitive dissonance of necessity and reliability. In pleasure-oriented consumer goals, re-recognizing anticipatory consumption goals was found to have the most significant impact on reducing cognitive dissonance related to necessity. This study reports the substantial differences in people’s responses to events that have occurred versus those that are yet to occur.