Managing perceptions and behaviours

Behaviour is the mirror in which we can display our image.

~ Mahatma Gandhi

It is human nature to attempt to rationalize behaviour. Rationalization is a coping mechanism for discomfort.

Understanding the concepts of cognitive dissonance and perception management may help us better navigate what we see in the media today.

I am not sure I can simplify and clarify these concepts well enough but am willing to try.

Through effort, we make progress.

Cognitive dissonance

Every single day the world seems like it is on the brink of falling apart. But then I look outside my window, and things look about the same as they did a week ago. It's almost a form of cognitive dissonance.

~ Moby

Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort we feel when our behaviour does not align with our core values or beliefs. We have an inner drive to hold our attitudes and behaviour in harmony - to avoid disharmony or dissonance.

For example, when we pride ourselves on being honest but, for one reason or another, misspeak the truth, it is natural to experience cognitive dissonance. This week, I experienced this.

One of my favourite podcasters, who happens to be very private, said something that made me curious about his height. So, I quickly looked it up.

My initial assumption was that he was very tall. To me, he seems larger than life.

What I found in my search was far from consistent with what I believed. Five foot seven was the height I came across. I did not check the source. This finding was so unexpected that I shared it in conversation several times.

But, something felt amiss.

When I had more time to research, I found other sources with different heights attributed to him, ranging from five-seven to over six feet tall. Given what I had broadcast, I invested a lot of time attempting to confirm my initial find - unsuccessfully.

Misreporting his height is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but I experienced severe mental discord.

The attitude or the action must change to eliminate discomfort when there is an inconsistency between the state of our mind (cognition) and our behaviours (dissonance). In the example above, my core belief is that I am honest and my inconsistent behaviour was misrepresenting the truth.

When the stakes are high, people may go to great lengths to rationalize behaviour inconsistent with their core beliefs.

In my case, I embraced the discomfort. It nudged me to call or message everyone to whom I mentioned it to admit I made a mistake.

Cognitive dissonance inspired me to make a wrong right - to protect my reputation (ego), which is human nature. I am grateful for the lesson.

When coerced to do something we do not wish to do, the dissonance between our cognition (we did not believe this was the right thing to do) and our behaviour (we did it anyway) manifests. Think about Public Health mandates that did not resonate with everyone.

Managing perceptions

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

~ Wayne Dyer

Perceptions matter. The lens through which we see things or how we perceive life (positively or negatively) will affect our outcomes.

Through the management of perceptions, we can create a favourable impression of something we have made or are trying to sell.

Perception management is associated with information warfare. It is a propaganda technique.

Propaganda is a way of conveying messages by manipulating emotions and selectively displaying facts to achieve desired outcomes. Those who study marketing know it well.

If you repeat the same thing frequently and forcefully, however untrue, it will become believable.

~ Joseph Goebbels

The public health campaign to convince the world that, without medical intervention, people are vulnerable to infection has been unrelenting. From the lens through which I see things, this is highly disempowering, creating dependence and patients for life.

No matter what the data or lack thereof imply, safe and effective has been repeated ad nauseam for the experimental mandated treatment.

Stakeholders, like tech and pharmaceutical companies that disproportionally benefited from the narrative of choice during the pandemic, masterfully managed our perceptions using propaganda to convey messages, manipulating emotions and embellishing the facts.

Closing thoughts

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Only when our behaviours are consistent with our core beliefs can we live in harmony.

We have much to change collectively before we overcome the dissonance we are currently experiencing worldwide.

Managing perceptions unethically by manipulating emotions and embellishing facts is destructive and unsustainable.