noun

• The state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioural decisions and attitude change.

  ‘They often underpin what psychologists call cognitive dissonance - the process of holding two mutually exclusive beliefs without noticing the inherent opposition.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘The cognitive dissonance inherent in this belief system makes it far less likely for a student to pursue the sciences for personal, family and community reasons.’
  • ‘There's cognitive dissonance between our professed support for meritocracy and our behaviour when our own children are involved.’
  • ‘Does this cognitive dissonance signal an underlying problem in my psyche?’
  • ‘In universities, disagreement and cognitive dissonance are not to be feared but, rather, to be recognized as way stations toward greater understanding.’