COGNITIVE DISSONANCE AND ITS MANIFESTATION IN THE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE MEDIA DISCOURSE

Abstract

This article is dedicated to the definition of the concept of cognitive dissonance and linguistic signs of English media discourse, representing this phenomenon. The article deals with the definition of the phenomenon of cognitive dissonance, used in psychology, sociology, linguistics, translation studies, intercultural communication. A review of the work of researchers engaged in the study of the theory of cognitive dissonance is given. There is also an attempt to elaborate the definition of cognitive dissonance. The work presents the definition of media discourse as well. The situations of the emergence of cognitive dissonance based on media discourse are considered. Different examples of the manifestation of cognitive dissonance are given along with the analysis of characteristic linguistic units (markers).

Information obtained by a person through media discourse can lead to the emergence of psychological dissonance, i.e. situations in which new information does not correspond (or completely contradicts) person’s system of knowledge. In order to get rid of an unpleasant situation, a person either changes one’s presentation of this phenomenon (event), or changes one’s behavior. He or she strives for internal balance. In this case, though situation is unpleasant, it still encourages an individual to return to the state of the consonance in one’s cognitive system.

Our task is to explain this phenomenon and, using examples from media discourse, to highlight linguistic signs signalizing the occurrence of cognitive dissonance and/or indicating an attempt to remove the latter. In order to achieve the aim extra linguistic and linguistic criteria have been developed.