2. What is cognitive dissonance? Why do McCormack et al. (2018) argue that it is useful to sociology?

 It is true to say that an individual’s behaviour is generally shaped by their attitude and that individuals strive for consistency and harmony between these two. When consistency and harmony is absent between these two, they tend to feel discomfort. This discomfort is known as cognitive dissonance; discomfort experienced when holding two or more conflicting cognitions, and these cognitions may include ideas, beliefs, values or emotional reactions. This feeling of discomfort can make individuals alter in their attitudes, beliefs or behaviours. These cognitions are somewhat like defence mechanisms or protective mechanisms and hence when altered, reduce the amount of discomfort encountered between inconsistencies and restore balance. McCormack mentions that we can experience cognitive dissonance whenstudying difficult topics in Sociology as a result of feelings of anxiety stemming from uncertainty or the fear of making a fool of oneself. He acknowledges that learning in Sociology is not easy, as we do not have clear guidelines to follow. However, McCormack 
argues that as students, it is important that we embrace this cognitive dissonance and actively participate and acknowledge our own mistakes and make an initiative to develop strategies to learn from them rather than disengage and distance ourselves from the topic at hand in order to make the most of our learning in sociology as these are crucial aspects of learning in sociology and can help induce feelings of anxiety. -Being wrong is fantastic and important – it is how we learn.3. According to the set reading, why should we interrogate the media we consume? What does sociology offer us that is different to the