Cognitive Dissonance Theory in Obama's Inauguration Address in 2009 - Essay Example

Cognitive Dissonance Theory in Obama`s Inauguration Address in 2009 I decided to take one of the most eloquent and persuasive speeches that people can hear during their lives because these speeches are aimed to make impact on majority of people who belong to the same nation. Inaugural addresses are made once in several years after a long and tiresome procedure of elections and become the culmination of the presidential campaigns. In these speeches future leaders have to do impossible things: they have to outline the experience of the nation and suggest why their candidatures are the best for the country in this very period of its history. It is also challenging for presidents to admit that they have loyal adherents as well as critics and address to all of them simultaneously. Moreover, presidents have extraordinary difficult goal- to persuade all their listeners regardless of their political preferences in the success of their future actions and make it in the most effective manner. The time for the inauguration address is rather limited that is why the best persuasive artifacts must be utilized. I decided to analyze Obama`s first inaugural address and connect it to the theory of cognitive dissonance which I find extremely exciting. For me inaugural address of the President of the United States is a complicated phenomenon that has to unite the nation before the face of the future possible troubles and at the same time leave some space to hope. Politicians of all ranges face with cognitive dissonance on the daily basis: the need to work with those who do not believe and do not trust them, and they also have to express hope and show positive expectations about the future regardless of the present state of things because it is them who are able to control the situation. In this paper I will try to examine how the concept of cognitive dissonance which can be traced in inaugural addresses influences the speakers and the audience, ad how reducing of cognitive dissonance can be used as a tool to persuade the audience. That is why I have chosen President Barack Obama`s speech during inauguration that took place at the U.S Capitol in Washington D.C. on 20th January 2009. Americans who have come to see their future President swearing to serve the country attended the event along with numerous international representatives. There were people who vote for Barack Obama and obviously there were some who did not vote for him. In reality the whole nation if not the whole world became Obama`s audience on that day. So Obama`s aim was to prove all Americans that he will serve American nation well. The message of the speech was broad. On the one hand, Barack Obama intended to say that America was in the state of crisis, and that there exist many problems which had to be solved immediately. Yet he wanted to encourage people to act with wisdom and courage and to believe in their common power as a nation. Obama underlined that America would go its way to freedom and peace of its citizens and the whole world (Inaugural Address, 2009). Cognitive dissonance theory is rather popular in the modern world because it is possible to trace its application in different forms: in discussion with a good friend as well as in dialogue of two politicians belonging to different parties. It states that when having two or more contradictory cognitions, beliefs a human experiences dissonance which he aims to avoid. A person has to change something to overcome cognitive dissonance or reduce the quantity of information to alleviate the pressure of dissonance (Festinger, 1957). There are several methods that help to do it most effectively: it is possible to either change the cognition, to alternate the conflicting cognition, to apply new cognition that justifies the previous one or ignore all the contradicting information (Brehm, 1996). It is necessary to trace what mechanisms were used by the speakers, politicians who had to provide public with contradictory cognitions and information. It is interesting how the very beginning of the inaugural address of Obama refers to the crisis in the country: “That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age”. Nevertheless in the middle of the speech the President states almost completely opposite truth: “Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week, or last month, or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished” (Inaugural Address, 2009). Therefore, for the audience that just recently faced the fact that the United States of America is in critical situation yet has to believe that they remain the most powerful nation on the planet. Obama skillfully uses cognitive dissonance to introduce the third cognition that is able to justify the previous two. This new cognition is the appeal to people to make changes urgently: “But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America” (Inaugural Address, 2009). It is noteworthy how Obama calls for actions from the part of citizens themselves emphasizing the fact that he himself cannot be the change America needs and that only united work and efforts of all members of society will give fruitful results. Another point that evokes cognitive dissonance in audience is actually the public to which the President refers. It was already mentioned that every President has to complete almost impossible mission: to persuade all his citizens (those voting for him and voting against him) that he will be the best on this position. That is why while Obama underlines the uniqueness of the nation: “We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth” (Inaugural Speech, 2009). But in order to reach hearts and the minds of all people listening to him Barack Obama delivered his message as a true American that is why in his speech he used symbols close and familiar to Americans. He appealed to common knowledge of historically important events and places, such as Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. He also refers to common understanding of the country`s friends and enemies without telling the names meaning that they are capable to decode this information themselves. According to Harmon-Jones, dissonance is experienced in a rather complex way by people who face it. And if a person needs to persuade someone he needs to reduce this dissonance by changing inconsistent beliefs. What is more dangerous in this regard for politicians is that people who were not able to reduce the dissonance can seek support among those who share their beliefs that is why for Obama it was crucial to emphasize common goals of all Americans and introduce another cognition that could be comforting in this situation. Barack Obama`s inauguration address in 2009 was characterized as “the call for changes” because he stated the pitiful state of the country and encouraged citizens to become the change they want to see in the country. This skillful demonstration of the third cognition helped Obama to make his inaugural address persuasive and effective. References Brehm, J. (1956). Post-decision changes in desirability of alternatives, Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 52 (3). Festinger, L. (1957). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. California: Stanford University Press. Harmon-Jones, E. (2002). A Cognitive Dissonance Theory Perspective on Persuasion, in The Persuasion Handbook: Developments in Theory and Practice, James Price Dillard, Michael Pfau, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, p.101. Inaugural Address of Barack Obama (2009). White House Official Website. Retrieved from: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/President_Barack_Obamas_Inaugural_Address Read More