cognitive dissonance
Conflicting beliefs discomfort
Cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort that arises when holding contradictory beliefs or when actions conflict with beliefs.
A smoker who knows cigarettes cause cancer experiences cognitive dissonance.
The term comes from psychology but has spread to general use: There's real cognitive dissonance in claiming to care about the environment while flying private.
Inventing acceptable motives afterward
- justificationReason proving rightness
- confirmation biasPreferring belief-supporting information
- self-deceptionConvincing yourself of falsehoods
- denialRefusal to accept reality
compartmentalization · motivated reasoning · selective attention · mental gymnastics · double standard · hypocrisy · willful ignorance · ego defense
Altered perspective or stance
- behavior changeShift in conduct
- justificationReason proving rightness
- rationalizationInventing acceptable motives afterward
- trivializationMaking something seem minor
denial · avoidance · consonance · reconciliation · integration · acceptance · reframing · compromise
Opposing claims, incompatible together
- inconsistencyLack of steady pattern
- tensionStretched or strained state
- discomfortMild physical or mental distress
- clashViolent disagreement or collision
discrepancy · incongruity · friction · incompatibility · misalignment · disconnect · opposition · disparity
Persistent apprehensive distress
- uneaseMild persistent worry
- discomfortMild physical or mental distress
- distressSevere anxiety or suffering
- tensionStretched or strained state
guilt · shame · confusion · agitation · turmoil · restlessness · apprehension · perturbation
Firmly held belief
- valuesPrinciples held worthwhile
- worldviewComprehensive belief framework
- ideologyStructured belief framework
- principleFundamental truth or standard
attitude · opinion · faith · doctrine · commitment · self-concept · identity · deeply held belief
rationalization
Inventing acceptable motives afterward
- justificationReason proving rightness
- confirmation biasPreferring belief-supporting information
- self-deceptionConvincing yourself of falsehoods
denial · compartmentalization · motivated reasoning · selective attention · mental gymnastics · double standard · hypocrisy · willful ignorance · ego defense · avoidance
attitude change
Altered perspective or stance
- behavior changeShift in conduct
- justificationReason proving rightness
- rationalizationInventing acceptable motives afterward
trivialization · denial · avoidance · consonance · reconciliation · integration · acceptance · reframing · compromise · realignment
contradiction
Opposing claims, incompatible together
- inconsistencyLack of steady pattern
- tensionStretched or strained state
- discomfortMild physical or mental distress
clash · discrepancy · incongruity · friction · incompatibility · misalignment · disconnect · opposition · disparity · mismatch
anxiety
Persistent apprehensive distress
- uneaseMild persistent worry
- discomfortMild physical or mental distress
- distressSevere anxiety or suffering
tension · guilt · shame · confusion · agitation · turmoil · restlessness · apprehension · perturbation · mental strain
conviction
Firmly held belief
- valuesPrinciples held worthwhile
- worldviewComprehensive belief framework
- ideologyStructured belief framework
principle · attitude · opinion · faith · doctrine · commitment · self-concept · identity · deeply held belief · personal truth
- cognitionthinking, reasoning, thought, remembering, memory retrieval
- psychologypsychology, psychologist, therapist, psychiatrist, clinical psychology
- indecisionindecision, indecisiveness, conflicted, hesitation, indecisive
- inner turmoilinner turmoil, inner conflict, inner struggle, self-doubt, indecision
- Psychology ResearchStanford prison experiment, Pavlov's dogs, marshmallow test, classical conditioning, operant conditioning
- social psychologysocial behavior, conformity, social influence, attribution, groupthink
cognitive dissonanceinner peace
Mental and emotional tranquility
peace of mind · self-consistency · equanimity · serenity · congruence
cognitive dissonanceself-acceptance
Approval of oneself
integration · reconciliation · resolution · willful ignorance · denial
recognize, recognition, recognized, cognitive, recognizing, recognizable, cognition, unrecognized, dissonant