Trying to believe two opposing ideas or concepts leads to physical distress. Let’s learn the coping strategies for cognitive dissonance examples in everyday life. You can use this. Let’s start by breaking down the terms. The word cognitive or cognition is the ability of the mind to process data. Cognition deals with important functions like awareness, learning, and recalling information. Dissonance is a word that means a lack of harmony, confusion, or conflict. When there is confusion and disharmony in the mind, this results in discomfort. Together, the term cognitive dissonance refers to a painful psychological condition. It is caused by the inability to resolve a conflict. Trying to Believe Two Opposing Points of View When we cannot resolve the conflict between opposing ideas, it creates internal conflict. This conflict causes pain and limits our ability to think clearly. So, when we encounter a conflict with our worldview, the first reaction of the mind is to reject it. The mind automatically protects the sacred ground of existing beliefs. Religions indoctrinate children as early as possible to get their ideas programmed first. That way, the child will grow up protecting these beliefs. It doesn’t matter if these beliefs are accurate or not. However, trying to believe two opposing ideas can create an opportunity for growth. Instead of taking the easy way out, you can challenge what you believe. Religions don’t like this option. When you consider new ideas, you are more likely to question their conflicting and illogical ideologies. Cognitive Dissonance Examples in Everyday Life Many people resolve the mental distress of this dilemma by going along with predominate programming. They take the easy way out to stop the distressful situation. They simply fall back on what they have been told to believe. Religion dominated the cultural narratives of most societies before the modern era. When the modern era began in the 1500s, then other sources influenced the culture. Newspapers became an influence, competing with religion as a source of information. Politics began using both newspapers and religion. The internet changed the medium of communication but not the sources. The number one purveyors of cognitive dissonance examples in everyday life are still religion and politics. The medium of communication may have shifted to the internet, but they are still the key drivers of the cultural narrative. Religions are the primary source of conflict in our modern world.
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