Through hypocrisy-induced dissonance, people are less likely to engage in certain activities or will respond differently in certain situations once they are made aware of their own hypocrisy. Two studies, one studying road rage and one studying smoking, used the hypocrisy paradigm in order to make participants aware of their own hypocrisy and encouraging them to change their behavior. Participants in the hypocrisy induced road rage study cut someone off before being cut off themselves. Participants realize they themselves have no ill intent when cutting someone off and are able to forgive others when they are cutoff. Smokers with high self-esteem come to realize they are giving advice and facts that they themselves are not adhering to and move towards quitting their smoking habits. .
Hypocrisy Induction.
Practice what you preach. That is phrase that is constantly thrown around at those we are accusing of being a hypocrite. Is it not hypocritical to tell someone to practice what he or she preaches when we ourselves are hypocrites? Yes. Yes it is. More often than not, we will accuse someone of a wrongdoing and pay no mind to our past or current actions. Also, it is very easy to offer someone advice on what they ought to be doing, all while we ourselves engage in the opposite behavior. That is hypocrisy. Hypocrisy has been studied and led to development of what is known as the hypocrisy paradigm. It allows the "hypocrite" to be aware of his or her own hypocrisy. The beauty of the hypocrisy paradigm is that it can be applied to one's everyday life. It offers the opportunity to stop, reflect on our motives, and opens our eyes to see we often engage in the same behaviors we criticize. The hope is that it will lead the individual to seek change in their behaviors. Through hypocrisy-induced dissonance, people are less likely to engage in certain activities or will respond differently in certain situations once they are made aware of their own hypocrisy.