“Cognitive dissonance” is a psychological term that describes the discomfort a person might feel when they are holding opposing thoughts. It further describes a human tendency to create or find consistency in beliefs, thoughts and attitudes. It’s built on the idea that people do this because conflicting beliefs, attitudes and thoughts create mental discomfort. Source.
Despite well-documented comments disparaging and/or showing insensitivity to people of color and arguably stoking white supremacy, Trump received votes from people of color, even more than the much more politically and socially moderate former presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Source.
Real Life:
I’m allergic to cats – sneezing, hives, congestion – but because my boyfriend at the time adored them, I adjusted my attitude and grew to find them entertaining and cute.
One Reply to “Strategy: Cognitive Dissonance”
I have struggled with my personal cognitive dissonance for years. It is truly fascinating how the brain can distort thoughts to protect itself, to entertain itself, to sustain the ego, etc. Cognitive dissonance is the most beloved tool of fashion. Just look at this ad for Marc Jacobs: http://cdn.stylefrizz.com/img/marc-jacobs-bang-perfume-ad-campaign.jpg
The fact that we struggle with opposing motivations has been wielded by leaders and advertising for generations. We want to be good but we like doing bad things. We want to be happy but we chase things that will lead to pain. We chase pain to release dopamine. Today, all of social media uses this dissonance to sell us everything from car purifiers to gravity-defying bras!
I have struggled with my personal cognitive dissonance for years. It is truly fascinating how the brain can distort thoughts to protect itself, to entertain itself, to sustain the ego, etc. Cognitive dissonance is the most beloved tool of fashion. Just look at this ad for Marc Jacobs: http://cdn.stylefrizz.com/img/marc-jacobs-bang-perfume-ad-campaign.jpg
The fact that we struggle with opposing motivations has been wielded by leaders and advertising for generations. We want to be good but we like doing bad things. We want to be happy but we chase things that will lead to pain. We chase pain to release dopamine. Today, all of social media uses this dissonance to sell us everything from car purifiers to gravity-defying bras!