What Is Cognitive Dissonance?

Take our Do You Still Believe These Myths About The Mind?

Find a therapist near me

Cognitive dissonance occurs when we're told something that conflicts with our own observations.

Responses include trusting your own perception, choosing to accept what others tell you, or disengaging.

Choosing to speak up in conflicting situations reinforces a norm of prosocial intervention.

"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." — George Orwell

Imagine watching someone on TV, perhaps a public figure, expert, or politician, make a confident claim about an event or situation that you witnessed for yourself. You’ve watched the footage, followed the reporting, or directly observed what happened. Yet the account you’re given contradicts what you believe you have clearly seen and heard. This scenario raises an important question: What do you do when those in positions of authority or influence ask you to doubt the evidence of your own eyes and ears?

The Psychology of ‘Don’t Believe Your Own Eyes’

Being told to reject what we see and hear creates a powerful form of psychological tension called cognitive dissonance. This is when the external messages we receive conflict with our own lived experience and perception of the world. Festinger’s (1957) cognitive dissonance theory suggests that, in order to feel that........

© Psychology Today