Stannis Baratheon Theory

Stannis Baratheon is cited as the King in the Narrow Sea and attempts to take the Iron Throne from the current ruling family. During his attempt to rebuild his powerbase by conquering other Kingdoms, one of his rivals to his claim of the throne sets fire to his camp which results in a loss of food, soldiers and horses. The Red Witch advises a human sacrifice to the Lord of Light, whom is a form of God; However, the human sacrifice must be his beloved daughter, in order to gain the Lord’s favour. As a result, Stannis experiences cognitive dissonance. The cognitive dissonance theory (6.3 When Does Engaging in a Behaviour Lead to Attitude Change) states that when someone engages in a behaviour that goes against their own cognition or has two conflicting …show more content…
In this instance, Stannis does go along with the sacrifice of his daughter, regardless of his love for Shireen. He placed importance on the bigger picture of becoming the true King that brings peace to the kingdoms and wasn’t going to let anyone, including his daughter, get in the way of achieving worldwide peace. During the conversation with Shireen, Stannis justifies the killing of his daughter by claiming to have no choice in the matter by stating that “the world forces his hand.” “Previous research had shown that if people are aware of the unwanted negative consequences of their actions when they decide to act, they feel a greater sense of personal responsibility (and dissonance).” (The “New Look”). After the burning of Shireen, Stannis appears regretful about his decision and has a high sense of personal responsibility. The revised version of cognitive dissonance states that personal responsibility is needed to lead to an attitude change. In the next episode, Stannis’ wife commits suicide out of grief and half of his remaining soldiers flee after the unsettling