The Fox and the Grapes, an Aesop's Fable

“A hungry Fox saw some clusters of ripe grapes hanging from a trellised vine. She resorted to all her tricks to get at them, but she could not reach them and tired herself out. At last she turned away, muttering to herself, “Well, who cares? I’m sure the grapes are sour anyway”

This fable is actually where we get the often used term “sour grapes” from. The fable is a popular example of Cognitive Dissonance, once of the most studied theories in social psychology. I am no psychologist nor have I studied social psychology so my insight into this concept is limited but basically, what I believe it means, is the rationalization of something in order to deal with two conflicting ideas. In this case the fox’s conflicting ideas are that he wants the grapes AND doesn’t want the grapes since they are probably sour anyway.

How often do you see this kind of activity in your life. I know I have done it myself and I know that I see my kids react this way if they aren’t able to complete a task they were originally excited to tackle. It seems almost like a natural defense mechanism, a way to convince yourself that it’s okay to not have accomplished what you set out to accomplish because it was never really worth while anyway.