What is cognitive dissonance?

Cognitive dissonance refers to the psychological discomfort that arises when a person holds two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or attitudes, particularly when their behavior conflicts with their beliefs. This theory was developed by Leon Festinger in the 1950s and suggests that individuals have an inherent drive to maintain internal consistency among their beliefs, attitudes, and actions.

When a person experiences cognitive dissonance, they may feel tension or unease, prompting them to either change their beliefs to align with their behavior, modify their behavior to align with their beliefs, or rationalize the conflicting beliefs or behaviors in some way. For example, if someone who values health chooses to smoke, they may feel discomfort due to the conflict between their health-conscious belief and their smoking behavior. In addressing this dissonance, they might decide to quit smoking or convince themselves that smoking isn't as harmful as it's perceived.

This concept is central to understanding how individuals make decisions, cope with conflicts, and strive for consistency in their lives, making it an essential part of social psychology.