Abstract
Aronson reframes cognitive dissonance — discomfort when cognition and behaviour clash — especially when you must preserve a reasonable, good self-image after acting inconsistently.
Aronson, E. (2000). Encyclopedia of psychology. American Psychological Association. DOI
Key findings
- Self-image clash — Dissonance bites hardest when behaviour threatens who you believe you are, not only logical inconsistency.
- Justification drive — People change attitudes or memories to match actions — the mind prefers a coherent self-story.
- Effort justification — Invested effort can inflate value — what cost you dearly must have been worth it.
- Social spread — The same mechanism scales to groups and identity — not only private choices.
Limits
Encyclopedia synthesis — integrative chapter, not one fresh experiment.
Application
When you defend a choice that still feels wrong — tension may be dissonance protecting a good-person story, not evidence-testing. See Cognitive dissonance lineage.