CD Part I

Our mind is troubled by the disharmony that occurs when our current belief or outlook on anything is challenged. This confrontation occurs by something visible or evident that gives us grounds for believing the existence or presence of something else. Our mental acceptance of the truth or actuality of something gives it a form of ‘absoluteness’ to us. We become absolutely certain in the trustworthiness of the idea, thought or concept. This becomes an opinion or our view on that particular idea, thought or subject. Often we hold onto our convictions without any difficulty. Other times, new evidence emerges that boldly confronts our beliefs.

Psychologists use the term "cognitive dissonance" to describe the bothered state of disagreement, sometimes pained state of mind that occurs when new evidence contradicts a current belief or outlook. When such dissonance occurs, either discarding the belief or discarding the new evidence must occur to resolve the conflict.

An easy example of when cognitive dissonance occurs is when the weather forecast calls for one type of weather, but when you step outside, the weather appears to be opposite of that which was forecast. If the weather person calls for sunshine and cloudless skies, you might dress for your day with the belief that dressing lightly without a jacket or coat is acceptable. If you never step outside, you could comfortably hold onto your belief in the forecast without it being challenged. However, when you step outside and see clouds, feel rain and chilled air, you are boldly confronted with facts that clash with your belief in the forecast. Do you discard the new evidence or your belief? Whichever choice you make, it affects YOU first. Your choice eventually affects others too.

If you choose to ignore the facts which are before you, the current reality of cold and rain can be unfavorable to your manner of dress. In the short term, you may only get a bit chilled and wet. However, if you are exposed to the elements without proper dress for an extended period of time, your immune system can be affected, compromising your health. Your health can affect others. Therefore, discarding the belief you hold in the weather forecast and adhering to the newly presented evidence can be beneficial to you and other people. The warmth of a jacket or coat can be like the love of a friend on a cold day.

Sometimes, as in my example of the weather forecast, our beliefs are instilled in us by other people. As children, we are most affected by those who are responsible for us. Our parents, teachers and others in authority instill in us beliefs that closely model their own. As we mature, we face evidence which either supports or opposes beliefs which have been planted in us by others. Through this process, we form our own opinions and beliefs. These are the beliefs that we firmly hold onto. Therefore, we are less willing to give them away or trade them for others.

Another example of cognitive dissonance occurs in relationship to prejudices. As children, we may be told that ‘all’ boys or ‘all’ girls are ‘blah, blah, blah.’ Whatever the ‘blah, blah, blah’ stands for, it is an ‘absolute,’ all-inclusive statement. It leaves no room for a different opinion or idea to be included because of the ‘all’ modifier. However, as we mature, we unravel those previous beliefs and form new opinions based on our personal interactions.

This same ‘absolute’ opinion development occurs within the context of race. Take a moment to ‘hear’ your first mental response to the following words and phrases:

Do your automatic responses to those words match what you think you believe? Are your thoughts positive or negative?

Now, take a look at the following words and note your first thoughts regarding them:

The thoughts that you possess regarding these words are tied to your beliefs. Regardless of what you may tell yourself, if your belief contradicts the evidence before you, you must make a choice. No matter what you choose, your choice affects YOU, and others. Malin Lowenadler-Shadel

Many people are unwilling to discard beliefs that they have become comfortable with. For example, a person might work with others who are injured and experiencing severe cognitive impairments. In their role they might not be privileged to witness the sometimes miraculous recovery that takes place outside of the setting where they work. The person working in this limited situation can be led to believe that ‘all’ persons who have cognitive impairments are the ‘same.’ That is, that they only reach a certain level of recovery. This belief might be comfortable in their work setting because for the most part, it could hold true. However, outside, in the real world, the belief does not hold true.

Most people do not work within medical or rehabilitation companies. Therefore, their opinions are founded on information received through experiences in real life and media exposure. Each person’s individuality separates them from inclusion into ‘absolute’ categories of recovery or functionality. When faced, this reality can cause the state of disharmony of cognitive dissonance.

When presented with new evidence about what it means to be disabled or impaired or injured, we must make a choice. Not all people who sustain Brain Injury survive. Not all people who survive Brain Injury remain comatose. Many people regain consciousness after Brain Injury. Not all people who become responsive after Brain Injury live the rest of their life in a bed or a chair. The list of ‘not all’ goes on and on.

To be sure, Brain Injury complicates life for the people who experience it. Sadly, some people do not fully recover from Brain Injury. However, many people who sustain and survive TBI overcome barriers well enough to lead satisfying, productive lives in society. And that can shift a paradigm or two if you meet these folks who do not believe that they must remain in a reduced state of cognition. Regardless of evidence to the contrary, many people continue to hold onto their incorrect beliefs in the forecasters who predict certain outcomes are absolutely inevitable. They are the ones who are left out in the cold without the love and warmth that the jacket of acceptance can bring.

Our language affects our beliefs. It is one way that we can change the prevailing beliefs in society at large. To change ‘absolute’ thought patterns, one only needs to change the way that they refer to people. By refusing to hold on to ‘absolute’ thinking patterns, the belief that ‘all’ people who sustain Brain Injury are the same and therefore will always be similar can be undone.

If we take a brief look at the history of race relations in this country, we will see a marked change in language as one of the most powerful examples of shifting beliefs. We can all remember words that were once accepted in reference to people whose skin is darker than others. Those words are no longer employed in media and society at large because of the demeaning nature of the ‘thoughts’ they produce when used. The same thing holds true within the disability community.

It is time to stand up for what is right and to decry the use of demeaning language in reference to people with disabilities. By insisting upon the removal and disassembly of language barriers, we can cause some cognitive dissonance within society, the media, government and each other. The disharmony that becomes reality in the minds of people will lead some to accept the truth. People with disabilities are not worth less than others who have yet to experience disability. A ‘non responsive’ prognosis does not eliminate a person from belonging to the human race. A coma does not shift us from human to vegetable status. Brain Injury is not the end of life. It is the beginning of life after brain injury.

Eliminating language barriers will free more people with disabilities to enjoy the freedoms and rights guaranteed to them by the Constitution of this great nation. And isn’t that what is right for everyone?

Pittsburgh Area Brain Injury Alliance

People Helping People Since 1981

Cognitive Dissonance

by John Pistorius