Cognitive dissonance

Cognitive dissonance is the tension that arises when beliefs, values, or actions conflict with each other.

Definition

Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person experiences inconsistency between what he thinks, what he declares and what he does. To reduce tension, he may change behavior, update a belief, or justify a contradiction. This mechanism helps to understand rationalizations, resistance to feedback and difficulty in accepting facts that are inconvenient for one's identity.

Key ideas

Missing key ideas.

Practice and life

Instead of immediately defending yourself, write down: what I did, what value it conflicts with, and what one correction I can make.

Common misunderstanding

It is a mistake to use dissonance as a label to judge others. A common mistake is to reduce tension by making excuses instead of making a real change.

Questions for self-reflection

No questions for self-reflection.

Sources

No sources.