seeking to explain away a thought that doesn’t comport with others, or changing what one believes or one’s behavior. Is cognitive dissonance a bad thing? Created with Sketch. Not necessarily.

Cognitive dissonance is an uncomfortable state, so people try to resolve it by changing ... Deep down, they knew their victims were human. If dehumanization does not fully explain it, the behavior of ...

In his 1957 book, "A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance," Festinger explained, "Cognitive dissonance can be seen as an antecedent condition which leads to activity oriented toward dissonance reduction ...