Ruff Times Made Me Love Him More: Effort Justification
Effort justification is a situation in which we suffer for something, and justify it to ourselves by valuing the end result more than if we had not suffered for it (Aronson & Mills, 1959). It is a situation in which cognitive dissonance occurs (Aronson & Mills, 1959; Festinger, 1957). Cognitive dissonance is the uneasiness we feel when we do something that does not align with our feelings or beliefs (Festinger, 1957). Festinger’s cognitive dissonance theory (1957) states that we dislike this disconnect between our wants and our actions, so we do everything we can to alleviate our uneasiness about it. Sometimes, we change our beliefs or feelings to avoid cognitive dissonance (Festinger, 1957).
Aronson and Mills’ (1957) study is a well-known example of effort justification. Female participants were told that they would soon engage in a group discussion about sex (Aronson & Mills, 1959). Some participants were told that they needed to prove themselves to be a part of the group (Aronson & Mills, 1959). There was a mild and a severe initiation condition, with both conditions reading aloud to a male researcher (Aronson & Mills, 1959). The mild initiation group read out mildly sexual words, and the severe group read out graphic sex scenes (Aronson & Mills, 1959). The third condition did not involve any initiation activity (Aronson & Mills, 1959). All participants were told that they could only listen in on this week’s discussion: a recording of a highly technical, intentionally boring discussion of sex in animals (Aronson & Mills, 1959). Aronson and Mills found that participants from the severe condition indicated higher enjoyment of the discussion than those in the mild and no initiation conditions. Since they suffered the most, the severe initiation group needed to believe that they had done so with good reason, so they convinced themselves that they liked the discussion (Aronson & Mills, 1959).
A cuter example of effort justification is the first few months with our puppy, Benny (Aronson & Mills, 1959). Benny was adorable, but quickly I began to notice some unusual fur loss. The vet explained that Benny was having an autoimmune reaction. The reaction would likely pass, and his immune system would function normally again. In the meantime, he could not be given standard vaccines, and needed to be completely isolated from other dogs. I attended online classes and did assignments while watching over him. It could be overwhelming. He stayed overnight at the clinic twice. We worried for his life. He was very weak, with little energy or appetite. So, the vet prescribed Benny steroids. His health improved and he put on some weight, but without vaccination, we couldn’t take him on walks even though his energy was through the roof. We were in a constant state of playtime.
Everything improved once Benny was vaccinated. He loves playing with other dogs. As he grew, his health stabilized. Caring for Benny through his illness probably made me love him even more than if he had been healthy, as effort justification would suggest (Aronson & Mills, 1959). Dogs are wonderful companions, and they have a lot of needs. We may love them partially because we sacrifice so much for their well-being.
n = 531
Honor Code: I have acted with honesty and integrity and am unaware of anyone who has not. /s/ Ellie Munson
Reference List
Aronson, E., & Mills, J. (1959). The effect of severity of initiation on liking for a group. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 59(2), 177–181. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0047195
Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford University Press.
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