Cognitive Dissonance: Difference between revisions

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=Definition=
=Definition=


Cognitive dissonance is a term used in psychology to describe the feeling of discomfort when simultaneously holding two or more conflicting thoughts, ideas, beliefs, values or emotional reactions.  In a state of dissonance, people may sometimes feel "disequilibrium": frustration, nausea, dread, guilt, anger, embarrassment, anxiety, etc.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance Most of the material in this article has been adapted from the Cognitive Dissonance article in Wikipedia]</ref>
'''Cognitive dissonance''' is a term used in psychology to describe the feeling of discomfort when one is confronted with facts or information that conflict with a firmly held belief.  In a '''state of dissonance''', people may sometimes feel "disequilibrium": '''frustration, nausea, dread, guilt, anger, embarrassment, anxiety, etc.'''<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance Most of the material in this article has been adapted from the Cognitive Dissonance article in Wikipedia]</ref>


Not everyone feels cognitive dissonance to the same degree. People with a higher need for consistency and certainty in their lives will probably feel the effects of cognitive dissonance more than those who have a lesser need for consistency.
Not everyone feels cognitive dissonance to the same degree. People with a higher need for consistency and certainty in their lives will probably feel the effects of cognitive dissonance more than those who have a lesser need for consistency.
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'''We don’t like to believe that we may be wrong''', so we may limit our intake of new information or thinking about things in ways that don’t fit within our pre-existing beliefs. Psychologists call this “confirmation bias.”
'''We don’t like to believe that we may be wrong''', so we may limit our intake of new information or thinking about things in ways that don’t fit within our pre-existing beliefs. Psychologists call this “confirmation bias.”


We also don’t like to second-guess our choices, even if later they are proven wrong or unwise. By second-guessing ourselves, we suggest we may not be as wise or as right as we’ve led ourselves to believe. This may lead us to commit to a particular course of action and become insensitive to and reject alternative, perhaps better, courses that come to light.<ref>[http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/10/19/fighting-cognitive-dissonance-the-lies-we-tell-ourselves/ Fighting Cognitive Dissonance & The Lies We Tell Ourselves]</ref>
We also don’t like to second-guess our choices, even if later they are proven wrong or unwise. By second-guessing ourselves, we suggest we may not be as wise or as right as we’ve led ourselves to believe.<ref>[http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/10/19/fighting-cognitive-dissonance-the-lies-we-tell-ourselves/ Fighting Cognitive Dissonance & The Lies We Tell Ourselves]</ref>


[[Image:Cognitive-dissonance.jpg|right|thumb|370px|A simple example of '''''cognitive dissonance''''']]
[[Image:Cognitive-dissonance.jpg|right|thumb|370px|A simple example of '''''cognitive dissonance''''']]