Money and Bureaucracy
(Anti-Theory Blog)
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Cognitive Dissonance Theory
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The C.D.T. does not contain enough foundations for me to believe it is a justifiable theory in every aspect of human behavior relating to dissonance or dissonant feelings. I am an “Agent of Chaos.” I thrive in environments where the cards are stacked against me. I am most comfortable when the world is in turmoil. My negative life experiences have allowed me this in-depth psycho-analysis of myself and my psyche. The various institutions I have dealt with throughout my thirty-three years of existence give me the power to create order out of others’ chaos.
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I consider myself a social psychologist in terms of my observations of human action and interaction. I understand the world around me, but prefer a Confucianism approach mixed with a Taoist and/or Buddhist mentality to observe until prodded to act. My actions are usually negative, but procure solutions to chaos by creating order. This has been apparent mostly in terms of bureaucracy in my personal affairs. Having said this let me move into the negatives of C.D.T. via my life experience. I will finish this blog with questions that maybe you can answer yourselves.
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I was accepted at H.P.U. in mid-December. This caused me a great number of dissonant thoughts. I had so much to do in such a short period of time. I had to complete my financial aid, apply for scholarships and grants, find housing, attain the funds to live on until my financial aid would be released to me, settle all my affairs in Chicago, buy my travel tickets, get a T.B. shot, register for classes, et cetera. Most of those actions I accomplished rather smoothly because I was in control of them. However, the financial aid situation was out of control.
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I was required to register through Sallie Mae, even though I choose Citibank as my lender. Not to mention I would not use a company that filed for bankruptcy and is now owned by the federal government. My adviser was very helpful and she completed my file quickly. This allowed me to register for my classes. This, in turn, gave me an opportunity to focus my attention on housing. I will not clutter this blog with my experiences on this, but instead will move forward in time.
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A week before I was set to leave for Hawai’i, I kept checking my Citibank student account to see if my loans had been applied for. Given my views on bureaucracy I was not surprised to see there were no applications in progress. I waited a few more days then e-mailed my adviser. I received an auto-reply response stating she was out of the office and would not return until January 16th. This happened to be the day I was scheduled to arrive in Honolulu.
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Upon landing in Honolulu I was at an immediate disadvantage. This was mostly caused by my choice to travel overland from Chicago to Los Angeles via Amtrak. I saved five hundred dollars with this itinerary. That money saved quickly dissipated with alcohol and poker along the two day trek on the train. I slept in the airport at LAX and boarded my flight to Honolulu. The disadvantage was the extra money I had spent on Amtrak and the twenty-four hour layover in L.A. My girlfriend made some adjustments and I had a fresh pocket of cash on Friday, January 16th here on the island. I ended up at a hostel in Waikiki to give me a roof over my head while I continued looking for housing. I know the details are extensive up until this point, but there is a method to my madness. This will lay the groundwork of my hectic experiences and my increasing disdain (dissonance) for the situation to come.
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Money is the correlation that denies this theory from being practical. When someone is experiencing cognitive dissonance, they will only fall into the “justification” mental state if money is not a factor. Case in point, Ali Torres would leave her job if she could not pay her bills. The example shown in the textbook only constitutes perception and cognitive feelings. If you were to add money, which people need to survive in society, the outcomes would be more easily interpreted differently. The same applies to Juan, if money played a role in the arguments he might be more inclined to leave rather than stay and justify the situation mentally.
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The money aspect is only one parameter I have set in judging this theory’s effectiveness. I will explain further at the end of this blog when I give opinion and critique on the seven judging criteria set forth in the text. The money parameter has meaning in my experience, therefore I am returning to the story. I visited the financial aid office on Tuesday, January 20th. I had secured an apartment, and had spent nearly three thousand dollars since I had left Chicago a week earlier. My dissonance with “Restroom Routes” increased throughout my first weekend here. So I was using my dissonant feelings from other situations to propel me angrily toward a new and separate situation.
The financial aid department had yet to complete and certify my file, even though I was told three weeks earlier that this had been done. I have dealt with bureaucracy most of my life, and I knew a three week delay only adds time to the backside of me receiving my money in hand. My perception from the Head of the financial aid department as he spoke to me was negative. His tone was negative, and he made me feel as though I was wasting his time. This perceived slight towards me invigorated and fueled my anger. The chaos agent took over. From Chaos, I create Order!
I snapped; I told him about how I felt; being very careful to use “I” statements and avoiding the “you” statements whenever possible. Finally, I asked for his boss, at which point in time he explained he was the top of the food chain. Another gulp of gasoline for me; the flame grew hotter. My verbal skills are exquisite when chaotic situations are upon me. I told him the various methods and channels I use to get things done. These are threats, but not physical, more administrative threats. Did I mention I was a writer? Did I say I do it for fun? Well, I have found myself over the years writing many letters to Senators, Mayors, Alderman, Representatives, C.E.O.s; even President Bill Clinton received one of my tirades in letter form in 1996. I have received responses in every instance, because their jobs are based upon creating order from chaos, as is mine!
So, the Head of financial aid apologizes and then personally finishes my file by the end of the day. Most people would assume the squeaky wheel only needs to be greased once and then all is well; not me. A squeaky wheel usually needs more than one greasing. So I followed up with my lender the following day. It turns out that Citibank does not recognize Sallie Mae. Therefore, the Master Promissory Note I filled out in December (reminder: I was against doing it) was null and void. I do not understand why H.P.U. has decided to align itself with one specific financial institution. This is a conflict of interest in my eyes, but I will leave ethics questions and opinions for later blogs.
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I called my lender; they told me their website was not working properly. This meant I could not fill out a new M.P.N. electronically. I went back to financial aid and was told they were trying to satisfy Citibank’s request. The problem was they couldn’t send anything via Sallie Mae. Since Sallie Mae is the site they use, they told me to give it time. Time is something I am short on; hence “Carpe Diem.” I continuously checked my lender’s website until I was finally able to fill out a new M.P.N. electronically. I printed out two copies and dropped one off at the financial aid office. Needless to say, they did not seem very appreciative of my aggressive problem-solving tactics.
To say the situation was resolved at this point would be a misnomer. I checked my lender for disbursement of my funds through Monday of this week. The funds were released to H.P.U. at eight A.M. Hawai’i time. I waited until Tuesday, and then realized the money still was not in my student account. I went to the business office, but was told there was no record. They directed me back to financial aid. This only re-ignited the fire. Upon arriving at financial aid, they miraculously found the ten thousand plus dollars after I prodded them for five minutes to keep looking. It turns out the money was in limbo, and without my prodding might have stayed there eternally.
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Now you are thinking, “All is well.” Not really, I went to the business office yesterday and was told they would call me within ten business days to pick-up my refund check. Well, that could mean mid-February. I do not have a choice or a course of action at this point. Now it is up to me to practice patience. Even though my rent is due on Sunday and I am living off ramen noodles and coffee. I have the rent, but before I came here the financial aid office told me to prepare for living here up to a month before receiving any funds. I just didn’t expect a month would cost me four thousand dollars. Not to mention, their numbers are flawed in determining those numbers for estimated need/cost of living when they issue award letters.
I am now stepping down from my soapbox to analyze this experience and its correlation to C.D.T. My permanent cognitive dissonance of bureaucracies caused me to use anger as a way to become consonant. I perceived the situation as chaotic even though I was dealing with paid professionals. I have learned that the left hand and right hand of bureaucracy do not maintain efficient levels of production without a head directing their movements. Most times I delegate myself as the head and use anger as my tool to create consonance from dissonance. This is not explained in C.D.T. I began to explain using the feelings associated with dissonance in other situations as an engine propelling me forward in a separate situation. There was no room for justifying in lowering dissonance levels. Instead, I found creating more dissonance for others with a set plan of attack, i.e. anger, self-determination, self-preservation, doing others jobs, et cetera initiated consonant feelings.
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Now some aspects of this theory are valid in terms of context for magnitude of dissonance. Bureaucracy has caused me to have more dissonant cognitions in the past, thus as issues or situations arise in the present, give me less patience, quicker thought processes, and a hastened plan of action with little or less time in between thought and action. A question I have pondered recently is; would a person hibernate or retract from society, thus becoming depressed to lessen dissonance? Could this answer the various hermits that leave society? Or explain the agoraphobics? Or would it be more productive to seek out dissonant feelings, thoughts, and ideas in hopes of producing harmony? Life experience should lessen dissonance over time because having more memory to remind someone of the pitfalls of the past gives way towards avoiding present or future dissonant situations, thoughts, and feelings.
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I think the theory was from an objectivist point of view. Further research from a subjectivist point of view could lead to more substantial findings. I also see this theory’s main goal was to predict what otherwise was unknown or misunderstood. I have not read further studies based on this foundation, but I am sure my critique has been already written since 1957.
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The seven critiques in the text gave me a better understanding of C.D.T. It also allowed me to engage in more critical thinking. I was able to break down this theory into my everyday life. I think this blog reinforces the lack of testability. For example, the powerlessness can be explained in terms of voters. If I vote for candidate X then candidate Y is going to win. What is the point of me leaving my house to vote when my favorite program is on tonight?
The scope of this theory is too broad and generalizes too much. I would think more stringent parameters and fewer variables would strengthen its position. It achieves logical consistency, although it can be contradictory, it still is general enough to not “box itself in.” Parsimony looked to be easy to achieve. The dissonance associated with situations is very general. The text’s use of utility and testability are sufficient to explain how I perceive and have internalized C.D.T. Obviously, heurism and test of time are apparent since more theories have been initiated, and even more concepts can be drawn from this theory in the future.
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Thanks for listening; don’t be surprised if I don’t blog this much for every theory. I just had a lot of thoughts to convey for this one. Your friendly neighborhood Chaos Agent.
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