FREE ESSAY ON COGNITIVE DISSONANCE AND THE MOVIE 2001

COGNITIVE DISSONANCE AND THE MOVIE 2001

The argument that the paper states is that a person's wants and desires influence more
than just behavior. They influence his/her thinking and even his/her power of perception.
The most important point made is that when a person is confronted by ideas or facts that
are against their pre-existing notions and ideas, what results is cognitive dissonance.
Cognitive dissonance is referred to as a sort of static in the human psyche. This static
caused by cognitive dissonance has the power to distort or even block perception. When
disturbing information creates cognitive dissonance, the static discredits the
information, so that a person does not feel compelled to cope with it, even if it is
true. Cognitive dissonance is a very powerful self-preservation mechanism that can
completely override the human desire for truth.
The movie "2001" illustrates the points the author is trying to make. The fact that the
geometric slab is kept secret is an example of the potential for cognitive dissonance.
The government feared that if the Earths' inhabitants learned of it "without adequate
preparation and conditioning," widespread "culture shock" and "social disorientation"
would inevitably ensue. This disturbing information would have created a cognitive
dissonance with the earth's inhabitants; the people would simply discredit the evidence
so that they would not have to cope with the far-reaching effects. 
I agree with the argument made about cognitive dissonance and the illustration with the
movie. I don't really believe the producers of the film "2001" intentionally set out to
make a film tackling the psychological issue of cognitive dissonance, but somehow
stumbled upon it.