Options must be value options

If after ensuring that, the choices are not variants of a single option and a sense of cognitive dissonance persist, then one must examine the possibility that one or more of the options are worth options disguised as value options.

Value is an amount considered a fair and suitable equivalent for something, while worth is a quality that renders something desirable and useful. Pure value choices are mathematical decisions made possible when the individual completely disengages from the outcome. A value decision, based on intrinsic economic theory, results from assigning a number (may be monetary or an integer for rating purposes) to each option and then selecting the option that most closely meets pre-established criteria. The opposite side of the spectrum is the worth decision, a determination based on something recognizable, that is subjective, and not easily quantifiable. Examples of worth include the time spent with a loved one, quality of life, and individual happiness.

There is a predisposition in western culture toward definite, neat, and clean answers. As such, individuals often attempt to quantify worth through the assignment of rating attributes (numerical, letter, etc.) To the rational (conscious) mind, this makes sense. However, the unconscious mind, operating on a primal level, has great difficulty in quantifying feelings. The incongruence between conscious and unconscious thought produces a cognitive dissonance that generally surfaces in the form of decision rendering difficulty.