Cognitive dissonance theory refers to an uncomfortable feeling that results when holding two contradictory ideas at the same time.  Researcher Leon Festinger developed this theory and it has proven to be one of the most important theories in the history of social psychology.  According to Festinger, any two cognitive elements such as attitudes, perceptions, knowledge, and behaviors will have one of three different relationships.  The first relationship is null (irrelevant); the second is consistent (consonant); and the third is inconsistant (dissonant).  He goes on to explain how dissonance occurs when one element would not be expected to follow from the other;  therefore, dissonance is not consistent in all people.  Festinger further concludes that there are two premises that govern dissonance theory: 1) dissonance produces tension or stress that creates pressure to change; 2) when dissonance is present, the person will attempt to reduce it and avoid situations in which dissonance might be produced.  Thus, this outlook can cause a problem, so he suggested that in order to deal with cognitive dissoance, an indiviudal might try to change a cognitive element, add a new element, try to see the elements as less important than they used to be, seek constant information, or distort/misinterpret the information involved.  NO matter which mehtod is used, at least one is best in order to feel better about your beliefs and actions (Littlejohn, 2002).