Under certain conditions, people who behave in attitude-discrepant ways go on to change their attitudes. Whether this phenomenon reflects a human need to reduce dissonance, however, is a matter of some controversy." Compare/contrast 3 explanations that have been proposed to address this issue. (Come up with an example that creates dissonance. Address this example with each of the 3 explanations to change attitudes

1. Attitudes and thoughts influence the behavior of a person. People attempt to achieve consistency and harmony between attitudes/beliefs and behavior. Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person has more than one conflicting opinions, values, or ideas about a person, experience, or event. This conflict arises when a person's behaviors and values or beliefs are not congruent with each other. So a person tends to modify one's beliefs, intentions, or ideas to alleviate the discomfort caused due to the consistency in attitudes and behavior. This is a defensive mechanism employed by the individual. For example, an alcoholic may attempt to rationalize his/her decision to consume alcohol by modifying their attitudes.

2. Attitude discrepancy can occur through persuasion. Effective communicators and messages can alter the perception and attitude of a person. This is often seen in the case of advertisements created by companies and organizations to persuade potential customers to buy their products or services. Advertisers grab people's attention, communicate the persuasive message, and convince them to buy their product. Ad agencies customize their ads in the way that customers like.

3. Behaviors play a significant role in altering attitudes. 

For example, a person who wanted to prepare for an upcoming exam spends the entire day watching movies may not feel guilty or regret his/her decision. He/she is unsure why they neglected their college work for the less important activity. The answer is that their behavior changed their approach towards studying.