Leon Festinger

American social psychologist best known for developing the theory of cognitive dissonance and for influential work on social comparison and research methodology.

Books

Ranked Books All Books

This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.

  1. 1. When Prophecy Fails

    A Social and Psychological Study of a Modern Group That Predicted the Destruction of the World
    Cover of 'When Prophecy Fails' by Leon Festinger

    A landmark social psychology case study of a small apocalyptic UFO group whose predicted cataclysm failed to occur; observers documented how members coped with disconfirmation by rationalizing the outcome and intensifying recruitment efforts, demonstrating how cognitive dissonance operates and the conditions that can strengthen commitment after a failed prophecy.

    Purchase from Bookshop.org