cognitive dissonance

noun

, Psychology.

anxiety or discomfort that results from simultaneously holding contradictory or otherwise incompatible attitudes, beliefs, or the like, such as when someone likes a person but disapproves strongly of one of their habits.

psychol an uncomfortable mental state resulting from conflicting cognitions; usually resolved by changing some of the cognitions

First recorded in 1960–65

A big part of the reason is a simple psychological phenomenon called cognitive dissonance.

But when the school holds a ceremony honoring the soldiers who killed her Arab brethren, she suffers clear cognitive dissonance.

The European rules create cognitive dissonance: Reality refuses to line up with their convictions.

One astutely muses about cognitive dissonance among the many conservative Republicans within the 47%.

The concept of "pinkwashing," for example, had to be developed to overcome progressive cognitive dissonance.

But the most common reaction is the good old cognitive dissonance.

One of the classic defence mechanisms is the cognitive dissonance.

April 17, 2024axolotl

[ak-suh-lot-l ]

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