Free-choice dissonance occurs when a person faces:

Free-choice dissonance arises when an individual makes a choice between two or more equally desirable alternatives. This type of dissonance occurs as a result of the knowledge that other options, which were not chosen, could have also led to a favorable outcome. The dissonance manifests because, after making the choice, a person tends to focus on the positives of both their selected option and the ones they did not choose, which can create an internal conflict.

For instance, if someone is deciding between two equally attractive job offers, upon making a decision, they might feel dissonance as they reflect on the potential benefits of the job they did not choose. This tension often motivates the individual to rationalize their choice by downplaying the attractiveness of the alternative or emphasizing the positive aspects of their decided option, thereby alleviating the discomfort caused by the dissonance.

In contrast, a forced choice typically involves a decision made under coercion, where the individual does not experience the same level of dissonance since they do not have the freedom to weigh equally valued alternatives. Conflicts related to social roles and obligations to group norms also differ in nature, as they involve external pressures rather than the internal conflict stemming from choosing between similarly desirable alternatives.