You have worked extremely hard to attain a goal, but soon realize that the goal is not as exciting as you expected. You will probably __________.
A) exaggerate the positive qualities of the goal in order to justify your effort
B) exaggerate the negative qualities of the goal in order to obtain sympathy
C) carefully analyze the reasons why you worked so hard to attain the goal
D) deny that you ever believed that the goal was exciting

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is explained by cognitive dissonance theory, which suggests that when people find themselves having put a lot of effort into achieving something that turns out to be less rewarding than expected, they tend to justify their effort by exaggerating the positive aspects of the goal. This helps reduce the dissonance between their expectations and reality.

You Have Worked Extremely Hard to Attain a Goal, but Soon