American Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The purpose of this study was to determine if a correlation exists between cognitive dissonance in high school, caused by conflicting experiences with others, and the development of discriminatory behavior and mindsets. Prior research shows that cognitive dissonance has been steadily increasing as America has become more diverse. Cognitive dissonance is a state of imbalance within one’s mind that is created when another’s notions, practices, beliefs, or more conflict with those of your own. The subconscious attempt to reduce this dissonance is the primary factor that is speculated to cause social discrimination. Data was collected through a survey in Google Forms. Multiple-choice questions were used for quantitative analysis and optional free-response questions were used for qualitative analysis. The population sample consisted of 40 high school students of various ethnicities. Over 50% of the participants showed high rates of dissonance and conflicting experiences, and a large majority recorded negative outward mental effects towards others. Therefore, the study concludes that dissonance plays a large role in fostering discriminatory development in teenagers. However, the smaller population sample may have skewed results in this direction. Future research should attempt to replicate this study and improve upon it by studying less diverse high schools in both rural and urban centers.