The Feeling of Guilt: Why Do We Justify Our Wrongdoings?

Temptation is everywhere. It’s stored in every crack, every crevice, every nook of life. As a child, we tend to reach for our parent’s hand when unwanted desires tap on our shoulder. We actively seek protection until we gain enough independence to grant curiosity the power to overrule our decisions. In Beautiful Boy, we are introduced to a reckless teenager who allows his temptations to consume his state of morality. After experimenting with a variety of drugs, he becomes consumed with the euphoric high of methamphetamine. Though he’s aware of the harmful consequences that follow his addictive behavior, Nicholas Sheff can’t help but downplay the severity of his situation to maintain his momentary feeling of bliss.

Former Stanford University social psychologist Leon Festinger developed an objective theory that explains the mental state experienced when people find themselves in unfamiliar situations. Known as cognitive dissonance, chapter 16 elaborates on how it is dealt with and how to reduce dissonance from consuming our decision making through three mental mechanisms. The first hypothesis focuses on selective exposure, for we tend to gravitate towards others who are like us. Entertainment and humor are two factors that media has used “to get around people’s selective exposure filters” (195). Post-decision dissonance is the second hypothesis which narrows down on the doubts experienced after making an irreversible decision. Also known as “morning-after-the-night-before regrets, the misgivings or second thoughts that plague us after a tough choice motivate us to seek reassuring information and social support for our decision” (196). The final mechanism is minimal justification and how it can induce a change in attitude. While it used to be said that attitude changes behavior, Festinger’s hypothesis proved that the roles are reversed. By offering the minimum enticement to induce someone, compliance, “public conformity to another’s expectation without necessarily having a private conviction that matches the behavior” is elicited (197).

 

When we think of our loved ones, we can’t fathom the thought of them in danger. Our goal is to protect those we care for, even when we know our personal well-being could be threatened. Therefore, when watching Beautiful Boy, we can’t but empathize with Nic’s loving father who goes to extreme lengths to ensure his child’s safety. However, his son has convinced himself that his harmful actions are justifiable by avoiding consequential thoughts. One way he does this is by surrounding himself with other addicts. As stated in Festinger’s theory, selective exposure can manipulate our thought process into believing our decisions are valid. By befriending another user, he not only gains praise for his wrongdoings but no longer feels like an outcast. According to cognitive dissonance, as his addiction becomes normalized, his reasoning to quit begins to diminish. Yet when he is surrounded by a different audience such as recovering addicts, his perspective is altered. He no longer justifies his behavior and instead feels persuaded to make a positive change. Throughout the movie, we also witness a lot of contradictions that follow Nic’s addiction. He thoroughly seeks out ways to satisfy his cravings, yet once it is fulfilled, he is hit with a wave of regret. Known as post-decision dissonance, this young addict searches for social support and affirmation to subside his guilty conscience. When this is not achieved, Nic cannot help but remove those lingering thoughts by using again.