My theory is cognitive dissonance theory.

THEORETICAL APPLICATION PAPER Assignment This 2-page paper concerns the application of theories of the attitude-behavior relationship to your own experience. If you choose cognitive dissonance theory, in your paper you should accomplish the following in an enumerated list: describe 1) the theory, 2) a time that your attitudes and behavior were in conflict, 3) how the conflict was resolved (if it was), and 4) the impact of that resolution (or lack of resolution) on your subsequent attitudes and behavior. Such that, in your paper you should accomplish the following in an enumerated list: The most important part of this assignment is 5) to integrate your example with the theories and concepts from the texts and lecture, and to explain clearly how the example you choose illustrates the theory you choose. 

Please note that your paper needs to be divided in an enumerated list into the 4-sections noted above. 

Some Suggestions for Writing a Great Paper How can you make your paper outstanding? Choose an example that clearly demonstrates your knowledge of the theory(ies). First, discuss the theory; second, describe your life event. Third, be sure to detail how the theory applies to your life event in that moment and/or beyond that moment. Fourth, discuss the implications of using the theory to understand your subsequent relevant attitudes and behaviors. Where relevant, consider exceptions to the theory(ies) and/or any special conditions of the theory that your example illustrates. Discuss the broader implications of these theories for understanding human behavior. By this, I mean that you should consider why it matters that attitudes and behaviors are related in different ways, and the kinds of real-life situations that are affected by dissonance or self-perception processes. If you write more than 4 pages, I will grade you on the first 4 pages only. The MINIMUM length for the paper is 2 pages.  The font should be 12-point Times New Roman. Grading Criteria for This and Other Papers This paper will be evaluated with respect to how well you integrate course material from the books and lecture with your personal experience. Please note that I will not grade you on the quality of your personal experience (i.e., rather, I am interested in your ability to discuss major themes and specific concepts from the course as they apply to your experience. I should be able to tell from your paper that you understand the relevant theory and how it applies to your example(s). Just mentioning or listing the concepts is not adequate; you must DESCRIBE and EXPLAIN how the concepts apply to the real-life example(s) you choose. 

Don’t rely on us to figure out that you understand something; instead, explain it so clearly and completely that we can see that you understand it. Paper writing tip: A good guideline to use in deciding how much to explain is to pretend that you are writing the paper to explain cognitive dissonance or self-perception theories to a bright friend who has never had an introductory social psychology class. Be sure to include enough information so your friend will really “get it.” You will not be graded on whether you agree with the professor or the text. You will be graded on how well you justify and elaborate your examples and conclusions.  Finally, although the focus of this course is not to grade on the basis of writing quality, it is hard to like a paper that has not been proofread for spelling errors, or that contains multiple grammatical mistakes.