[The Second Take] Avoiding Cognitive Dissonance Is Not Always the Answer

Stepping Over Others in 'Squid Game'
Seong Gi-hun Tormented by Guilt, Cho Sang-woo Avoids Cognitive Dissonance
Self-Justification and Responsibility Evasion: Legal Logic at Yongsan

In 'Squid Game,' Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) commits a wrongdoing only once. He deceives Oh Il-nam (Oh Young-soo) in the game where players guess odd or even to steal marbles. He continuously exploits Oh Il-nam's weakness of dementia. He wins the game but regrets it. He does not touch the prize money and lives like a recluse.

Guilt arises in exceptional situations called cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is a phenomenon where contradictions continuously occur between beliefs and actions or between opinions. Seong Gi-hun is a good person, but to win the game, he had to step on and surpass others. Although tormented by severe guilt, he meets Oh Il-nam late and partially resolves the imbalance.

Unlike Seong Gi-hun, Cho Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo) often avoids cognitive dissonance. He finds justification for himself and believes in it. After killing Kang Sae-byeok (Jung Ho-yeon), he rationalizes by saying, "She was going to die anyway even if we had just left her alone." In the glass stepping stone game, he pushes a participant who worked at a glass factory down to escape danger.

Seong Gi-hun asks him, "You killed an innocent person. Would you have pushed me if it were me?" Cho Sang-woo angrily retorts, "Gi-hun hyung! Do you know why your life is such a mess? Because even in this situation, you're asking such pathetic questions!" This question is a typical response to cognitive dissonance. He projects his loser-like image onto the other person.

American psychologist Albert Bandura said that when people act according to rules or morals they believe to be superior to general morality, a phenomenon called 'moral disengagement' occurs. It was an argument that justifies illegal acts by transcending established norms under the pretext of resisting injustice.

He also said that 'responsibility evasion' becomes a tool to escape from conscience almost as much as moral disengagement. Defenses like "It happened because of that person," or "I was just following orders" are examples.

Recently, in President Yoon Suk-yeol's press conference, both of these could be seen. Regarding recent controversies, he repeatedly said, "Legally, there is no problem." While apologizing, he deliberately avoided explaining the wrongdoing. He only emphasized the logic of the law. As a former prosecutor, this has been a tool he has used since the early days of his administration. He stressed a firm response to illegality and disruption of national order. However, as he faced political crises, it faded into a passive defense mechanism.

Perhaps this is why public opinion turned against him. Whenever there was a troubling incident, President Yoon prioritized legal logic. Especially in cases like his spouse's receipt of luxury bags or the Deutsche Motors incident, he was busy scrutinizing the formal legal requirements. Even when the recorded phone call with Myung Tae-kyun, made the day before the presidential inauguration, was revealed, he said there was no legal problem.

The logic of the law is important to everyone. But staying only within that world cannot find an effective breakthrough. Seong Gi-hun had the courage to cross that boundary. He even gave up the game just before winning. "Consent form clause 3. If the majority of participants agree, the game is stopped. If the two of us give up, it ends here." For him, his younger sibling who played with him in childhood was more important than the prize money. The pure days without moral disengagement or responsibility evasion.