Personal Statement: Experience With Cognitive Dissonance

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Noelle Stewart PSY 252 Shawn Burn January 30, 2012 Social Psych Self-Assessment #1: Option 2 Experience with Cognitive Dissonance Running is a passion of mine that was suddenly interrupted when I was only seventeen. I loved the feeling of escaping everyday realties, running alone on trails and finding new routes that nobody knew I was on. I was warned numerous times about the uncertainties and scares of running alone, but I was in denial that such horrible events could happen to an innocent girl like me. After school one day in late October, as I was tying my shoes and getting ready for my run, my mom came into my room with a worried look on her face. She told me that last week there was an unidentified man hiding in the bushes…show more content…
The cognitions I contemplate are that I am a thoughtful and smart person that makes good decisions, but I made a poor decision and I am lucky that I experienced minimal harm. I decided not to run on the streets because that run is dull and tedious, even though I knew it would have been a better choice and I could have avoided being attacked. However, in order to resolve the come-and-go dissonance I still feel at times, I emphasize that the trail route was the correct decision. I repeatedly try to accept my experience as a positive one and learn from the mistake I made. I turned the attack into a learning experience and have been able to protect my friends and myself from future traumatizing experiences like the one I encountered that day. I have a positive excuse for my decision because I know that my friends will be more cautious, as well as myself, when we are out alone or in a desolate…show more content…
During my senior year of high school, I started an organization called Teens for Teen Safety that promoted a safe lifestyle for high school students from underage drinking to rape and molestation. My speeches for the organization were inspired by the dissonance I felt and I intended for my words to spread awareness about teen safety and the reality of the outcomes of unsafe decisions. My devotion to my peers resulted in numerous news articles about my organization as well as positive feedback from strangers and other victims of similar situations. I continue to gain personal strength as well as become a role model to the people around me. I have grown as a speaker and as an individual because of my attack and I am determined to continue to resolve the dissonance I still feel at

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