Cognitive Dissonance is very well explained in
this article by the SPs at wikipedia.
As I understand it, cognitive dissonance is based upon a theory that one's personality is made up of THOUGHTS, EMOTIONS and BEHAVIORS. When one or more of these are in conflict, you will feel dissonance. You will seek to reduce that dissonance by adjusting the others to be more consistent, and thus feel less dissonance in your universe.
You are a peace activist, for instance, and you find that in order to have peace you have to kill people every day. As a peace activist, your BEHAVIOR is running contrary to your EMOTIONS and THOUGHTS about who you are, what you stand for, and what is "ethical and moral" to your present personality. As long as you continue killing people as a peace activist, you will need to adjust your THOUGHTS and your EMOTIONS to be more in line with your new BEHAVIOR of killing people - and thus reduce the DISSONANCE you feel from it.
You can also use this understanding of the inner lives of people to "brainwash" them, or to change their personalities to be more in line with what you want.
Military boot camp uses cognitive dissonance to turn regular people who would never harm a fly into trained killing machines who will fight and die on command.
I believe that Hubbard took this same theory and applied it to the entry level services of Scientology in order to create Scientologists. See, all you have to do to create cognitive dissonance is to CONTROL one of the three above to be out of line with the others. In order to reduce the dissonance which comes from this, the person will be forced to bring the other two into line with the one you are controlling.
The Purif, Objectives, TRs and all the other beginning services are designed to CONTROL raw meat in order to turn them into Scientologists.
For example: Why am I sitting here staring this other guy straight in the eyes for hours and hours? None of my THOUGHTS or EMOTIONS square at all with this crazy BEHAVIOR that I am engaging in. And the supervisor is all over me, making sure that I keep doing the drill over and over for hours and hours and they will not let me stop until THEY SAY SO.
You become "restimulated", meaning that dissonance is being created in your universe. But the answer is always to KEEP DOING THE DRILL.
And then you have a COGNITION - your THOUGHTS are forced to change to be more in line with your BEHAVIOR. And you pass the drill.
This is the basic process that was being run on you when you were first becoming a Scientologist. And this was how Hubbard developed the basic structure of all Scientology training and processing. This continues all the way up to OT 8, where the EP is, basically: "I now know who I am not and am ready to be told who I am".
To keep you on the "straight road" (to stay in alignment with your Scientology Personality's THOUGHTS, EMOTIONS and BEHAVIORS) you applied ETHICS which held the THOUGHTS, EMOTIONS and BEHAVIORS that were consistent (non-dissonant) with your Scientology Personality in place. All other THOUGHTS, BEHAVIORS and EMOTIONS that were inconsistent with your Scientology Personality were "out-ethics". And the "restimulation" you felt from them were reduced when you had a "cognition" that was more in line with your Scientology Personality. That's why applying ethics conditions could sometimes be such a "relief". And that's why ethics officers and old Ron were always talking about your "integrity" as a Scientologist.
The theory of cognitive dissonance has been around since 1950, and was very hot in the emerging field of social psychology right around the time that Hubbard developed and released objective processing - the first overt application of outright brainwashing in Scientology.
Funny, he never mentioned any of this to us....
There's more to this understanding of what Hub.bard was doing to you with Scientology. And it can be applied to getting people out of Scientology, too.
The key, as Stephen Hassan explains in his fantastic book "
Releasing the Bonds", is to break up the INFORMATION CONTROL that the cult is waging upon the cult member. That allows for the person to start to square all his cult personality thoughts, emotions and behaviors with information that he has had to shut himself off from in order to remain "ethical" as a cult member.
The Internet in general, and ESMB in particular, is great for breaking up information control.
While I agree fully that cognitive dissonance is a key factor in involvement with Scientology, and I have said so in other posts, this is in some ways a poor and inaccurate analysis of various aspects of Scientology using the theory of cognitive dissonance.
Cognitive Dissonance IS VERY WELL explained in the article you reference above.
You understand it incorrectly. It has little or nothing to do with EMOTIONS.
From the referenced site:
"Cognitive dissonance is an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding two contradictory ideas simultaneously. The "ideas" or "cognitions" in question may include attitudes and beliefs, the awareness of one's behavior, and facts. The theory of cognitive dissonance proposes that people have a motivational drive to reduce dissonance by changing their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors, or by justifying or rationalizing their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors."
The key point involves
holding two contradictory ideas simultaneously. Even when the aspect of CG involves "behavior", the dissonance generally occurs with the "idea about ones behavior" - as stated above as "the awareness of one's behavior, and facts". In essence actual CG occurs when observation, and thoughts about observation, conflict with some form of FIXED IDEAS. This is especially true in religious belief systems, where fixed ideas are very strict and well-formulated, and was discussed in the article regarding the UFO doomsday cult.
To me, CG grows with involvement in the Scientology and has VERY LITTLE to do with intro courses. In fact, what is so seductive about Scientology is that many of the "intro" courses do get legitimate positive results (that have NOTHING to do with cognitive dissonance). I find your example of TRs and the interpretation in alignment with CG to be ridiculous. It is just so "hokey". It is such a tremendous divergence from anything that is really happening when one does TRs. Being previously involved in the study of and practice of various forms of meditation, TR 0 was simply a great practical way to learn to "BE THERE". Control? Maybe YOU have a major problem with control buttons. To me, I just sat there, did the drill , let all the thoughts and BS fall away, and I hit the point where I could comfortably BE THERE. There is a legitimacy to many early Scn practices, and THAT is why people get hooked. If it was ALL, 100% entirely BS, no amount of control could "trick people".
It is necessary and vital that new people get real wins and successes from mostly legitimate methods, so that they can THEN come to accept and
believe the KEY ideas mentioned below.
The BSM and study tech is the same. I studied engineering and psychology in college. I did very well. I knew nothing of study tech. But, when I studied the BSM (Basic Study manual), the three basic ideas made total sense, and still do. Hubbard again stole from theories of general semantics (GS). A key idea in GS is bringing (abstract) ideas into the realm of actual specific events. THAT is exactly what "demoing" and "drawing diagrams" does. The concept of asking, "how can it be that way", again brings concepts and ideas into the realm of actual experience by way of specific examples (more GS). The idea of defining all words is just plain common sense. Duh! But, nobody had ever gotten me to actually take it seriously before. I have ever since made sure to understand any word in anything I read. THAT is an accurate concept relating to understanding anything. On "skipped gradients", again, it is common sense. Most knowledge builds on earlier knowledge. If you don't learn the earlier steps well, it will be impossible to do well on later steps. So, the data clarifies some things to some people, and "helps" them. There is no control involved. The three ideas of study tech make total sense to me and to many other people - even non-Scientologists. To say otherwise simply displays, to me, a person who is so rabidly against "anything Scientoogy", that he or she will develop cognitive dissonance with THE fixed idea that "every bit of Scientology MUST be bad". Cognitive dissonance involves making tremendous leaps of logic, and often involves mental gymnastics, to allow the basic key FIXED IDEAS to remain intact and senior. I notice that severe critics suffer from it as much as do overly-indoctrinated active Church members, because they also have such rigid BELIEFS of their own that the critic is unwilling to have exist alongside actual contrary facts and observations.
Fanatics are fanatics, whether they are
for or against Scientology.
Again, people with buttons on "control" may have a hard time with objectives. I co-audited objectives and had great wins. There was nothing about it that "conflicted" anything. Despite that, from day one I did have cognitive dissonance about many OTHER things, but it had little to do with introductory services. I will explain that later.
I agree completely that Scientology ethics and justices acts to demand behavioral adherence to certain IDEAS. THAT unravels as time goes by, and has little to do with introductory involvement with Scientology. The REAL cognitive dissonance begins once any member has accepted and BELIEVES (thinks with) these ideas:
Scientology is the ONLY workable path to spiritual freedom
Scientology is a mission, a dedication and a crusade
The survival and eternity of every man, woman and child depends on what YOU do here and now with Scientology
LRH was a genius
Evil nasty people KNOW Scientology works and they will do everything to stop it
Because of the above, ANYTHING we do to safeguard and expand Scn is justified
Nothing is more important than "going up the Bridge" and expanding Scientology
RTC is perfectly safeguarding the technology
David Miscavige is a "wunderkind"
Anyone who questions, criticizes or belittle anything about Scientology is at least misguided and ignorant, and at worse, a true suppressive person
It is primarily the eventual acceptance of the ABOVE ideas, that takes a certain amount of time for each member, that results in the cognitive dissonance.
For example, MANY members have problems with their bodies, health issues, wear glasses, etc, BUT the LRH data indicates that Scn "should" address and handle these situations. But, it often doesn't. Therefore, many members DENY or JUSTIFY their conditions to self and others. I knew a Sea Org member who was dying of cancer. She didn't want to ask her mother for financial assistance, because "Scientology works" and "I would feel PTS having to talk with her about it". She was very "conflicted", right up until she died.
Many examples of alterations of the tech have occurred by and through the actions of Miscavige and RTC. On the one hand, members accept and think with the idea that "the tech must always be protected from alterations, and RTC does that wonderrfully". Then, on the other hand, members constantly come across examples where the LRH data HAS BEEN ALTERED. THAT definitely causes cognitive dissonance. The two ideas are in severe conflict with each other.
Members are told year after year that Scientology is "expanding". Yet, many members walk into empty or near-empty orgs, time after time. How does one reconcile the "statement" and "assertion" (acceptance of the belief) that Scientology is expanding with the direct experience? One denies or more usually justifies - "oh, maybe my org is temporarily having a low time, BUT new orgs are always opening and OTHER orgs are flooded". There is no end to how one can MAKE UP ideas to allow ones structure of ideas to remain "consistent".
Another BIG basic belief and idea, is that "I can only get my Bridge in the Church, I WANT that Bridge, and I will do anything for it". The carrot-on-the-stick (
personal spiritual freedom for all eternity) is a tremendous motivation for most members. THAT IDEA is basic and senior to many others. Other ideas must ALIGN with that idea. That idea is nurtured in members week after week, and year after year. It is a VITAL part of the PRIMARY belief system. So, the active member must constantly allow or cause contradictory observations and ideas to bend to fit with THAT key notion. Again, this occurs LATER on and not at all in the introductory stages.
There is no shortage of possible examples.
I see it this way. There is useful and legitimate information in much of the introductory data. If there weren't some of that, the scam NEVER could have held up so long. It is the usual tactic of putting "some truth" in there to grease the machinery of deceit. And, as time goes on, the constant contact with the above
fundamental ideas turns them into RIGID UNQUESTIONABLE BELIEFS in the heads of members. This occurs by the usual constant barrage of KSW ideas on courses, briefings, musters, giving wins, events, magazines, pamphlets, videos, and so forth. The REAL cognitive dissonance comes into full swing when the person has become a TRUE BELIEVER. The above ideas become fully accepted and entirely REAL to the devoted Church member.
Just like in fundamentalist Christian religions, people BELIEVE so hard and so unwaveringly, that ANY data or even observations that conflict with the BELIEFS, are CHANGED to align with the FIXED BELIEF SYSTEM. Try to get one to accept the idea that the Earth and universe are older than 6000 years. No amount of "evidence" can convince them. Their BELIEF is senior to all else. The same with the dedicated ultra-indoctrinated unblinking Scientology Church member.
"Cognitive" is in the term "cognitive dissonance", because it primarily has to do with conflicting IDEAS. Again, "Cognitive dissonance is an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding two contradictory ideas simultaneously. The "ideas" or "cognitions" in question may include attitudes and beliefs, the awareness of one's behavior, and facts.
I agree that cognitive dissonance plays a MAJOR role in the mind of any active longer-term Scientologist. I do not see that it has much of anything to do with "introductory" aspects of Scientology. In fact, regges are recruiters have learned long ago that the "newbies" must be given time to "soak up" the above ideas, before they can be really hit hard with
hard sell.
