IntroductionCommunication is ubiquitous. During a normal day, you might say hello to a neighbor, use hand gestures to express a message, smile at a stranger, or text a friend about dinner plans. These and other activities can take place on a “normal” day, but analyzing these interactions can be quite complicated. Studying various communication theories sheds light on why people interact in certain ways and helps prepare a person for future communication encounters. It is important to be able to communicate with another, but it is equally important to explore the meaning behind each type of meeting you take part in, as there are many distinct types of communication. Cognitive dissonance theory provides insight into the classic conundrum of knowing or believing one thing and doing another. An analysis of the artifacts of this theory, using the ABC Family television series Gilmore Girls, will provide a clearer understanding of the complicated phenomena. Description of Cognitive Dissonance American social psychologist and original developer of cognitive dissonance theory Leon Festinger breaks down his theory into two main parts. First, the presence of dissonance, inconsistency, or agreeableness will psychologically motivate a person to achieve consonance, consistency, or agreeableness (Festinger 3). Psychologist Elliot Aronson, a key researcher of this theory in the 20th century, broadens the definition of dissonance to make it simpler. Dissonance occurs when a person simultaneously holds two ideas, beliefs, or opinions that are contradictory to each other. The second part of the theory states that a person will try to avoid situations or acquaintances that could or pro… Even if no further investigation is carried out for a while, studying the theory alone would help round out any person's communication skills. Works Cited Aronson, Elliot. (1969). Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Volume4. New York, NY: Academic Press, INC. 19-23.Crump, David. (2008). The social psychology of evil: can the law prevent groups from making good people evil? Brigham Young University Law Review, volume 2008 (number 5). 1444-1457.Festinger, Leon. (1985). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. 1-31.Scott-Kakures, Dion. (2009). Disturbing questions: Cognitive dissonance in self-deception. Social Theory and Practice, volume 35 (number 1). 73-106. Sherman-Palladino, Amy. (Producer). (2000). Gilmore Girls (TV series). Burbank, CA: Warner Brothers Studios.