Many people who choose not to have children suspect that homebound, sleep-deprived, and financially strapped parents are fooling themselves when they say that nothing in life brings them more pleasure than parenthood.In other words, these childless people suggest that parents put a lot of energy into ____________ in order to decrease cognitive dissonance.
A) peripheral processing
B) effort justification
C) balancing
D) arousing thoughts

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The concept of effort justification suggests that when people put a lot of effort into something, they tend to justify their actions by believing it was worth it. In this case, parents who put a lot of energy into raising children may experience cognitive dissonance if they later come to regret having children or feel like they are not enjoying parenthood as much as they thought they would. Effort justification may lead them to emphasize the positive aspects of parenthood in order to reduce this dissonance.

Many People Who Choose Not to Have Children Suspect That