2,006
Views
7
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Articles

Cognitive Dissonance in Social Work

, , , &
Pages 299-317 | Received 29 Aug 2016, Accepted 28 Dec 2016, Published online: 13 Feb 2017
 

ABSTRACT

Cognitive dissonance is a state of tension occurring when a person holds two psychologically inconsistent cognitions. For this study, 21 social workers who facilitate transracial adoption plans for Aboriginal children in British Columbia were interviewed: 1) Do social workers who facilitate transracial adoption plans for Aboriginal children experience cognitive dissonance? If so, in what ways? 2) How does cognitive dissonance impact them? 3) In what ways do social workers reconcile a sense of dissonance? Findings suggest that social workers do experience cognitive dissonance, that they are adversely impacted, and that they find ways to reconcile the cognitive dissonance.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Susan Burke

Susan Burke, PhD, is Assistant professor at University of Northern British Columbia, School of Social Work, in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada.

Glen Schmidt

Glen Schmidt, PhD, is Professor at University of Northern British Columbia, School of Social Work, in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada.

Shannon Wagner

Shannon Wagner, PhD, is Professor at University of Northern British Columbia, School of Health Sciences, in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada.

Ross Hoffman

Ross Hoffman, PhD, is Associate Professor at University of Northern British Columbia, Department of First Nations Studies, in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada.

Neil Hanlon

Neil Hanlon, PhD, is Professor at University of Northern British Columbia, Geography Program, in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.