Chapter 5: Quieting the Mind
Summary
Lauren Slater explores Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance. The experiment by Festinger involving a group of people who thought the world was coming to an end on December 21, 1954. When midnight arrived on that day, nothing happened. Festinger observed that followers (people who believed they would be saved) responded to the disappointment by rationalizing what had happened and creating a new theory explaining the events. Slater then tries to investigate cognitive dissonance by talking to Linda Santo who is the mother of Audrey Santo; a miraculous child who is able to cure diseases. However, the author finds that Linda does not fit Festinger's theory and instead experiences dissonance herself by witnessing unexplainable events at Linda's house.
Discussion
For some reason, I fell the chapter was incomplete. From what I read, it was hard to tell if Slater changed her beliefs or if she rationalized what happened towards the end. When I finished reading the story I realized that I had researched a little about Audrey to see if in fact she was as the book described her. I think this happened because I was in disbelief (just like the author was).
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