Reply #4: Congnitve Dissonance [View All]

[IChing]

Cognitive dissonance is the perception of incompatibility between two cognitions,
which for the purpose of cognitive dissonance theory can be defined as any element of knowledge,
attitude, emotion, belief or value, as well as a goal, plan, or an interest.

In brief, the theory of cognitive dissonance holds that contradicting cognitions serve as a driving force that compels the mind to acquire or invent new thoughts or beliefs, or to modify existing beliefs, so as to minimize the amount of dissonance (conflict) between cognitions. Experiments have attempted to quantify this hypothetical drive.

Cognitive dissonance is a condition first proposed by the psychologist Leon Festinger in 1956.
An example of cognitive dissonance is the phenomenon known as buyer's remorse, in which a consumer becomes conflicted, after the fact, with the issue of whether or not their decision to make a purchase was, indeed, a wise one.