When we come across theories that differ from our worldview we are faced with two alternatives. Either we can embrace the new theory and change our worldview, or we can reject the new theory. Normally most people will do the latter since a worldview has taken a lot of effort and a lot of thought to build up.
In the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance is the perception of contradictory information and the mental reaction to it. This can be triggered by actions, feelings, ideas, beliefs, values, and the environment around the person. Cognitive dissonance is typically experienced as psychological stress when people participate in an action that goes against one or more of those things. When actions or ideas are not psychologically consistent with a person’s worldview, people do everything in their power to change them until they become consistent. The discomfort is triggered by the person’s belief clashing with new information perceived, wherein the individual tries to find a way to resolve the contradiction to reduce their discomfort.
Want to find out more? Read the Critical Balance e-book for youth workers on critical thinking and conspiracy theories!
