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[–] toats 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago  (edited ago)

Cognitive dissonance doesn't refer to holding two contradictory beliefs at once, it refers to the stress that results from doing so and the actions an individual takes to reduce that stress.

The word dissonance has a musical origin referring to the discomfort or tension evoked when listening to unharmonic tones played together.

Wikipedia on the subject:

In psychology, cognitive dissonance is the mental stress or discomfort experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values at the same time; performs an action that is contradictory to one or more beliefs, ideas, or values; or is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values.

Cognitive dissonance theory is founded on the assumption that individuals seek consistency between their expectations and their reality. Because of this, people engage in a process called "dissonance reduction" to bring their cognitions and actions in line with one another. This creation of uniformity allows for a lessening of psychological tension and distress. According to Festinger, dissonance reduction can be achieved in four ways. In an example case where a person has adopted the attitude that they will no longer eat high fat food, but eats a high-fat doughnut, the four methods of reduction are:

  1. Change behavior or cognition ("I will not eat any more of this doughnut")
  2. Justify behavior or cognition by changing the conflicting cognition ("I'm allowed to cheat every once in a while")
  3. Justify behavior or cognition by adding new cognitions ("I'll spend 30 extra minutes at the gym to work this off")
  4. Ignore or deny any information that conflicts with existing beliefs ("This doughnut is not high in fat")