This is the feeling of uncomfortable
tension which comes from holding two conflicting thoughts in the mind at the
same time.
Dissonance increases with:
·
The importance of the subject to us.
·
Our inability to rationalize and
explain away the conflict.
Dissonance is often strong when we believe something about
ourselves and then do something against that belief. If I believe I am good but
do something bad, then the discomfort I feel as a result is cognitive
dissonance.