Cognitive dissonance is the psychological discomfort we experience when we hold contradictory or incompatible beliefs, ideas, or values at the same time.
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Cognitive dissonance can manifest itself through other emotions, such as anger, anxiety, guilt, or shame.
We may resolve the inconsistency by changing our behavior, like the smoker who knows that smoking is unhealthy and struggles to stop but is ultimately able to quit. However, we often try to avoid these negative feelings without having to resolve the inconsistency at the root of the dissonance.
For instance, we may change our beliefs, like the smoker who thinks they only smoke for fun and can quit at any time without ever quitting. We may adopt new thoughts that justify our current behaviors, like the owner of a gas-guzzling car who explains their choice by focusing on the flaws of electric vehicles. We may blame others, like the student who got an F and blames the teacher's teaching methods or the employee who wanted a promotion and blames their manager for giving it to their colleague. We may limit our exposure to the stimulus, like the left-leaning citizen who avoids watching right-leaning news, or vice versa. Lastly, we may seek connection, like someone who feels guilty about not being more environmentally conscious and joins a political party that opposes strict environmental policies and claims to protect people's economic freedom and purchasing power.
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