Cognitive Dissonance: Difference between revisions

Line 17: Line 17:
:''But man's resourcefulness goes beyond simply protecting a belief.  Suppose an individual believes something with his whole heart; suppose further that he has a commitment to this belief and he has taken irrevocable actions because of it; finally, suppose that he is presented with evidence, unequivocal and undeniable evidence, that his belief is wrong: '''what will happen?'''  The individual will frequently emerge, not only unshaken but even more convinced of the truth of his beliefs than ever before. Indeed, he may even show a new fervor for convincing and converting other people to his view. <ref>Festinger, Leon; Henry W. Riecken, Stanley Schachter (1956). ''When Prophecy Fails: A Social and Psychological Study of a Modern Group that Predicted the Destruction of the World.'' University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 1-59147-727-1.</ref>
:''But man's resourcefulness goes beyond simply protecting a belief.  Suppose an individual believes something with his whole heart; suppose further that he has a commitment to this belief and he has taken irrevocable actions because of it; finally, suppose that he is presented with evidence, unequivocal and undeniable evidence, that his belief is wrong: '''what will happen?'''  The individual will frequently emerge, not only unshaken but even more convinced of the truth of his beliefs than ever before. Indeed, he may even show a new fervor for convincing and converting other people to his view. <ref>Festinger, Leon; Henry W. Riecken, Stanley Schachter (1956). ''When Prophecy Fails: A Social and Psychological Study of a Modern Group that Predicted the Destruction of the World.'' University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 1-59147-727-1.</ref>


'''Cognitive dissonance''' is a term used in psychology to describe the feeling of discomfort when one is confronted with facts or information that is in 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 Cognitive Dissonance - 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 is in conflict with a firmly held belief.  In a '''state of dissonance''', people may sometimes feel "disequilibrium": '''frustration, unsettled, dread, guilt, anger, embarrassment, anxiety, etc.''' And this feeling isn’t just in our minds; it creates measurable physical tension which can result is us actually feeling ill. [https://therapyinanutshell.com/skill-22-cognitive-dissonance-mind-the-gap/ Cognitive Dissonance - Wikipedia]</ref>


In the 1950s, Leon Festinger proposed the theory of cognitive dissonance.  Festinger observed that when a person held a belief that was later disproved, the individual held the belief more strongly afterward if certain conditions were present.
In the 1950s, Leon Festinger proposed the theory of cognitive dissonance.  Festinger observed that when a person held a belief that was later disproved, the individual held the belief more strongly afterward if certain conditions were present.