Conceptualization Cognitive dissonance is the term used in modern psychology to describe the state of people when holding two or more conflicting cognitions(e.g.,ideas,beliefs,values, emotional reactions)simultaneously.In a state of dissonance, people may sometimes feel surprise,dread,guilt,anger,or embarrassment. The theory of cognitive dissonance in social psychology proposes that people have a motivational drive to reduce dissonance by altering existing cognitions,adding new ones to create a consistent belief system,or alternatively by reducing the importance of any one of the dissonant elements.It is the distressing mental state that people feel when they "find themselves doing things that don't fit with what they know,or having opinions that do not fit with other opinions they hold." A key assumption is that people want their expectations to meet reality,creating a sense of equilibriumConceptualization • Cognitive dissonance is the term used in modern psychology to describe the state of people when holding two or more conflicting cognitions (e.g., ideas, beliefs, values, emotional reactions) simultaneously. In a state of dissonance, people may sometimes feel surprise, dread, guilt, anger, or embarrassment. • The theory of cognitive dissonance in social psychology proposes that people have a motivational drive to reduce dissonance by altering existing cognitions, adding new ones to create a consistent belief system, or alternatively by reducing the importance of any one of the dissonant elements. It is the distressing mental state that people feel when they "find themselves doing things that don't fit with what they know, or having opinions that do not fit with other opinions they hold.” • A key assumption is that people want their expectations to meet reality, creating a sense of equilibrium