Are There Cognitive Dissonance Segments?

Cognitive Dissonance has interested consumer researchers for many years. Until recently, however, there has not been an accepted consumer dissonance scale. Using a recently developed scale, the present study examined the presence of dissonance segments in two customer samples, in which a significant minority of respondents experienced dissonance. Similar segments were found in both clusters, suggesting they may be common across a number of purchase contexts. Further investigation found some background differences, although a number of suggested relationships (e.g. price would affect dissonance) were not supported. Given the potential negative effects of dissonance, managers need to give this construct their attention.