Difference between revisions of "Cognitive dissonance"
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[[George Orwell]] famously discussed cognitive dissonance in his novel [[1984]], using the term [[doublethink]]. | [[George Orwell]] famously discussed cognitive dissonance in his novel [[1984]], using the term [[doublethink]]. | ||
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| + | [[Category:Logic]][[Category:Psychology]][[Category:Mental health]] | ||
Revision as of 04:45, September 30, 2008
Cognitive dissonance is stress or discomfort caused by simultaneously holding contradictory ideas.
Examples of cognitive dissonance
- A mother, who believes that her son is a good boy, learns that he has committed a serious crime;
- Claiming Global Warming is man-made and admonishing others for "not doing their part" while being hypocritically wasteful;
- Railing against America and its government while simultaneously living in the country and reaping all the benefits of freedom and capitalism;
Responses to cognitive dissonance
People respond to the uncomfortable feelings associated with cognitive dissonance in a number of ways, including:
- Resolution: Identifying the source of the contradiction and adjusting one one or both of the contradicting beliefs to eliminate the contradiction;
- Rationalization: Inventing faulty justifications in an effort to maintain both contradictory ideas as true;
- Denial: Denying the existence of a contradiction where one exists
George Orwell famously discussed cognitive dissonance in his novel 1984, using the term doublethink.