Publication Details
Abstract
Cognitive Dissonance in Caregiver LiteratureThis article describes cognitive dissonance as presented in a narrative telling the emotions involved in caregiving. Based on Leon Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance, the article explores the mental tension of the narrator caused by the contradictory beliefs about moral responsibility, agency, and emotional attachment. Using methods of close textual analysis, the paper identifies specific mechanisms of dissonance reduction, such as rationalization, moral reframing, and verbal affirmation. The other two in the narrative show the internal doubt alongside an outward determination and complexity of decision making in the face of illness or any vulnerable position a person finds themselves in. The analysis proves that cognitive dissonance appears not just as a psycho-social mechanism, but rather an effective model of emotional conflict in literary texts.