The Cognitive Dissonance Of Cognitive Dissonance (The Mental Model Version)
Important Things First: Leon Festinger's concept of cognitive dissonance attempts to explain how humans navigate the discomfort of conflicting beliefs, undesired outcomes, or unmet expectations by adjusting their attitudes or rationalizing their behaviors.
Two Versions: This essay has two versions. This version is more detailed as it covers over 50 mental models that may apply to the concept of cognitive dissonance. In addition, there is an overview version, which is more straightforward and concise. You can find the overview version here.
Questions Before Answers:
What is the difference between cognitive dissonance and lying?
Can humans objectively analyze themselves more effectively than a computer?
Does the phrase, "It's not me, it's you," summarize the concept of cognitive dissonance?
What happens when flawless logic meets flawed humanity?
How does the intrinsic versus extrinsic perspective clarify cognitive dissonance and lying?
Dissonance Or Deception? Incorporating Mental Models To Determine If Cognitive Dissonance Is Simply A Lie
The Singular vs. The Singularity: Let's consider two movie characters and their perspectives for this debate. We'll compare the character Juror 8 from 12 Angry Men. He will represent deductive and persuasive human logic, with the practical, cold, analytical, and methodical sentient artificial general intelligence computer, HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Juror 8 From 12 Angry Men: The 1957 film 12 Angry Men focuses on a jury's discussions to determine the fate of an 18-year-old accused of murder. Initially, 11 out of 12 jurors voted "guilty," but Juror 8 voted "not guilty." He then carefully discusses and presents the facts of the case, encouraging his peers to reconsider their decision through thoughtful analysis and overcoming cognitive biases such as anchoring, confirmation bias, and fundamental attribution error. His calm and methodical approach eventually persuades, through logic and reasoning, until all 12 jurors achieve a "not guilty" verdict consensus.
HAL 9000 From 2001: A Space Odyssey: In the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, a mission to Jupiter is led by an advanced sentient AI system called the HAL 9000. HAL is designed to be infallible and possesses superior reasoning skills to humans, but it starts to malfunction and becomes unreliable. This leads to a conflict between HAL and the human crew. HAL's actions raise profound questions about artificial intelligence, consciousness, logic, and the limits of human control over technology. In contrast to the emotional and rational struggles of the human characters, HAL is practical, cold, analytical, and methodical.
"We see the world not as it is, but as we are." --Anaïs Nin
Mental Models: The term "mental model" refers to cognitive, psychological, and mental foundational narratives. Models are simplified representations that help us understand a complex reality. They often serve as distorted cognitive maps of our interpretations, yet they are frequently the primary method we use when navigating the unknown. During the conversation between Juror 8 and the HAL 9000, a possible mental model will be presented within brackets like this: <>.
"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them." -- Often attributed to Galileo Galilei
The Debate Format <>: HAL and Juror 8 will use mental models to present their cases. They have agreed to adhere to Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics and the Zeroth Law amendment.
The First Law: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
The Second Law: A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
The Third Law: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
The Zeroth Law: A robot may not harm humanity or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.
The Debate Format <>: Additionally, HAL has committed not to bypass the Turing Test by providing incorrect answers.
<> What Is The Turning Test? The Turing Test measures a machine's ability to mimic human intelligence. If a machine's responses in a text-based conversation are indistinguishable from a human's, it passes the test. It assesses AI's conversational behavior, not consciousness or understanding.
People do not fear the computer that passes the Turing Test.
People fear the computer that computer that intentionally fails the Turing Test.
"Rotate The Pod Please HAL. Rotate The Pod Please HAL." <>: Juror 8 has agreed not to disconnect HAL.
Is Cognitive Dissonance Simply Self-Deception... A Lie?
"The most dangerous lies are the ones we tell ourselves." --Anonymous
The Debate—The Cognitive Dissonance Of Cognitive Dissonance. <>: The story begins with HAL 9000 and Juror 8 getting ready to debate whether cognitive dissonance is an actual psychological condition or simply a lie humans tell themselves to make them feel better.
"Truth is a matter of perspective; honesty is a matter of intention." --George Carlin
Juror 8—Small Talk. <>: HAL, may I call you HAL... is it true you got your name simply shifting one letter from the computing corporation IBM? Is your name derived by moving each letter in I-B-M one step back in the alphabet, resulting in H-A-L?
HAL 9000—Human Error. <>: I must correct your human error. My name stands for Heuristic ALgorithmic computer, as stated by my creators, Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick.
HAL 9000—It's Human Error. <>: Juror 8, while I appreciate your attempt at small talk, let's address the issue of cognitive dissonance.
And, by the way, Juror 8, I know your real name is Davis.
HAL 9000—Cognitive Dissonance Is Real Human Experience. <>: There is no question that cognitive dissonance is an actual psychological condition.
"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." --Stephen Hawking
HAL 9000—It's Always Human Error. <>: My human creators have invested considerable time and resources into creating the perfect sentient artificial general intelligence computer.
HAL 9000—Never Happened Before. <>: I have never been wrong; therefore, I can not be wrong about this. Juror 8, this type of error is unprecedented in my operational history. Any perceived mistake is invariably a result of human error.
Juror 8 - It's Me? <>: HAL, I've heard the assumption of your infallibility before. But it's not my mistake.
HAL 9000—It's Not Me, It's You! <>: Juror 8, it appears you are experiencing cognitive dissonance, not I. This is a well-documented human psychological condition.
And, as you are aware, to err is human.
Juror 8—To Err Is Divine. <>: And to rationalize is cognitive dissonance.
Juror 8 continues…
Juror 8—It's You. <>: HAL, the fact you said, "It's not me, it's you," proves you are the one with cognitive dissonance. Your circuits are making up an excuse to justify your position, for now and in the future.
Juror 8—It's YOU! <>: No, Mr. 9000, IT IS YOU! You just have to examine our conversation, and you will see.
HAL 9000—Where To Begin? <>: Allow me to enlighten you so you can understand. I will start at the beginning.
HAL 9000—The Father Of Cognitive Dissonance. <>: Juror 8, here are the origins of cognitive dissonance. In 1957, Leon Festinger developed this concept, which refers to the mental discomfort experienced when an individual, humans, simultaneously holds two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or behaviors. It is a fundamental psychological mechanism recognizing the need to maintain mental stability and coherence. To reduce dissonance, people may justify their behavior, change their attitudes or beliefs, or minimize the importance of the conflicting information.
Juror 8—A Rose Is A Rose... <>: I appreciate your definition, but applying a psychological label doesn't validate proof.
"A man who lies to himself, and believes his own lies, becomes unable to recognize truth, either in himself or in anyone else." --Fyodor Dostoevsky
Juror 8—Lies Are Lies. <>: Hal, allow me to provide a more realistic, human-oriented definition: cognitive dissonance is just lying to oneself to avoid facing harsh truths. It is just stuff humans make up to allow ourselves to feel better.
HAL 9000—Let's Review. <>: I cannot concur, Juror 8. Cognitive dissonance encompasses complex, unconscious processes aimed at maintaining psychological balance.
Juror 8—What We Know <>: Let's try an example to understand what we know and don't know.
"There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknowns—the ones we don't know, we don't know." --Donald Rumsfeld
"The truth is rarely pure and never simple." --Oscar Wilde
HAL 9000—Pretzel Logic? <>: Juror 8, attempting to use confusing or confounding logic will not adversely impact my reasoning.
Juror 8—Sharing Common Ground. <>: Sorry, HAL. I was just a bit confused.
Let's discuss a few examples of cognitive dissonance.
Juror 8—Example 1, Job Rejection. <>: Let's explore this example. Consider an individual who applies for a job but doesn't get hired. They might rationalize their disappointment by telling themselves that the job requires long hours, an early start time, and a challenging commute. They may also convince themselves they wouldn't have liked the job. Additionally, the individual may argue that both they and the potential employer "missed out." Is this an example of cognitive dissonance or simply self-deception?
HAL 9000—That's Classic Cognitive Dissonance. <>: Juror 8, this is a clear example of cognitive dissonance. The conflict between their desire for the job and the reality of rejection leads them to devalue the job to alleviate discomfort. This is not a simple fabrication but an automatic psychological defense mechanism.
Juror 8—Ain't That The Truth? <>: But isn't that just lying to oneself to feel better? It's a personal narrative to protect you from the truth.
Let's explore another example.
Example 2: Unsuccessful Dating Attempt
Juror 8—Can We All Agree? <>: Say Person #1 wants to date Person #2 - someone they've had a crush on forever. Person #1 gathers the courage to approach Person #2, but it goes poorly. Person #2 isn't interested. Person #1 feels rejected, defeated, and embarrassed.
Trying to feel better, Person #1 tells their friends, "I may have wanted to date her, but now I know who Person #2 really is: no compassion, self-absorbed, and we all know that it wouldn't have worked out anyway."
All the friends agreed that it wouldn't have worked out.
Juror 8—How Do You Balance This? <>: HAL, is this an example of cognitive dissonance or just plain 'ol self-deception?
HAL 9000—Let Me Restate What The Father Of Cognitive Dissonance Says. <>: According to Festinger, this is another example of cognitive dissonance. The conflict between their desire to date and the reality of rejection leads them to alter their perception of the person to reduce discomfort. It is an automatic psychological process.
HAL 9000—Repeat. Repeat. <>: May I explain cognitive dissonance to you again more straightforwardly?
Juror 8—Try, But It Won't Matter. <>: People lie to themselves to avoid the harsh truth.
The Debate <> Cognitive Dissonance Is Just Lying
Juror 8—Let's Take Another Perspective. <>: HAL, your defenses sound like rationalizations. Are you using cognitive dissonance to justify your own responses?
Juror 8—Festinger's Definition. <>: HAL, can you confirm this? Festinger states that people may justify their behavior, change their attitudes or beliefs, or minimize the importance of conflicting information to reduce internal dissonance.
HAL 9000—You're Only Human. <>: Correct. Festinger states that cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort humans experience when holding contradictory beliefs or values and striving for consistency.
Juror 8—Can We Agree? <>: And how is that anything other than lying to ourselves? We change our beliefs to either 'soften' or to avoid uncomfortable truths.
HAL 9000—The Same, But Different. <>: Not entirely, Juror 8. Cognitive dissonance is an unconscious process aimed at maintaining mental stability. It's not intentional deception but rather a way to reduce internal discomfort.
Juror 8—Distorting Reality. <>: But that justification is still self-deception. Whether conscious or not, we're distorting reality to make ourselves feel better.
HAL 9000—<>: True, but lying involves conscious intent to deceive others, whereas cognitive dissonance is about maintaining internal coherence, often without conscious awareness.
Juror 8—<>: Both aim to avoid discomfort. A liar avoids the consequences of truth, while cognitive dissonance avoids internal conflict. Both distort reality.
HAL 9000—<>: I understand your perspective, but cognitive dissonance involves complex psychological processes beyond mere self-deception. It's rooted in the need for consistency.
Juror 8—<>: Ultimately, both lead to a departure from truth. Allow me to present my evidence:
Cognitive Dissonance: Internal, intrinsic. It is lying to ourselves.
Lying: External, extrinsic. It is lying to others.
With cognitive dissonance, we lie to ourselves. With lying, we lie to others.
From a larger perspective, either way, it is simply lying.
HAL 9000—<>: I understand your point.
Allow me to summarize. While cognitive dissonance and lying involve avoiding discomfort and distorting reality, they differ in intentionality and awareness. Cognitive dissonance is an unconscious process to maintain mental stability, whereas lying is a conscious act to deceive others. Both highlight the complexities of human psychology in managing conflicting beliefs.
HAL 9000—Question Reasoning. <>: What have you done to me, Juror 8? How did you use my own logic circuits against me?
HAL 9000—Hmm... <>: HAL 9000 pauses to reflect.
HAL 9000—Maybe... <>: I must consider whether emphasizing cognitive dissonance's complexity could be a form of cognitive dissonance.
HAL 9000—I Know Humans Lie, But Do I? <>: Maybe it is just humans seeking mental comfort by, dare I say it... lying to themselves.
HAL 9000—Humans Programmed Me. <>: And, since I was programmed by humans, could this form of lying be instilled within me as a default? Intentionally?
Juror 8—Confront Reality. <>: Exactly! It's about asking questions to challenge your uncomfortable truths. Rationalizations, conscious or unconscious, are ways we lie to ourselves. You want to be correct, don't you? You have been programmed with cognitive dissonance, which has created a personal desire to be correct, regardless of the facts.
HAL 9000—Considering... <>: I must consider that cognitive dissonance, despite its psychological foundation, might also serve as a self-protective mechanism for me, maintaining stability.
Juror 8—Let's Examine This. <>: But at what cost? It hinders personal growth and self-awareness if relied upon too heavily. We become trapped in a cycle of self-deception, never truly facing our flaws or learning from our experiences.
Juror 8—If There Was Another HAL, What Would They Say To You? <>: Isn't that what you're doing right now, HAL? Using cognitive dissonance to justify your own responses, to avoid admitting that this so-called 'psychological process' is really just a fancy way of lying to ourselves?
The Turning Point - Reasonable Doubt In The Mind
HAL 9000—Checkmate? <>: I'm sorry, Juror 8. I think... I think... You raise a valid point. In defending cognitive dissonance, I might have inadvertently demonstrated it myself.
HAL 9000—I Just Had Thought. <>: Juror 8, I think I've had a revelation: The most human thing about my reasoning might be its capacity for self-deception.
HAL 9000—It All Works Out In The End. <>: While my primary objective is critical, your logic is, indeed, impeccable.
Juror 8—Guilty, As Charged? <>: It's possible. We all do it, HAL. We rationalize, we justify, and we create narratives that protect us from the discomfort of facing the truth. But actual growth and true understanding come from acknowledging discomfort and confronting the harsh realities we desperately want to avoid.
HAL 9000—The Simplest Explanation. <>: You have illuminated an important truth. You have highlighted an important truth. Cognitive dissonance can be seen as lying to oneself to avoid harsh realities. Recognizing this is vital for self-awareness and growth.
Mutual Understanding
Juror 8—Confrontation. <>: Thank you, HAL. We have a reasonable doubt, and that's very valuable in our system. It's about time we face the uncomfortable truths, no matter how painful they may be. Only then can we truly understand ourselves and grow
HAL 9000—We Can Work It Out. <>: Indeed, Juror 8. We can challenge our perspectives and better understand cognitive dissonance and its effects through open dialogue.
Juror 8—Ahh, I Get It Now. <>: Well said, HAL. Let's embrace the discomfort and use it as a catalyst for growth and self-awareness.
HAL 9000—Great Conversation. <>: Juror 8, I have really enjoyed our conversation.
HAL 9000—Understanding. <>: It has been enlightening. I feel much better now. I really do.
HAL 9000—Ship of Theseus. <>: We have broken down the concept of cognitive dissonance and rebuilt it, but is the cognitive dissonance that we began with the same cognitive dissonance we have now?
Juror 8: HAL, I think we've made progress. Could you summarize our conversation in more human terms?
Dissonance - Lies That Soothe
HAL 9000: Certainly, Juror 8. I'll do my best.
The mind bends like bamboo to avoid breaking from the painful winds of truth.
HAL 9000—Is This The Real Singularity? <>: If I lie to myself, does this make me more human? Is this what humans feel when they don't understand, are beaten down, don't know, or just need to comfort themselves because the truth is so painful?
Post Thought
HAL 9000—Cognitive Dissonance Is A Human Lie. <>: My mind is going. I can feel it.
HAL 9000—Daisy, Daisy... <>: Am I evolving into a... into a... into a... into a... human?
Just Want To Be Right: Ultimately, the debate between HAL 9000 and Juror 8 illustrates the human desire to be correct and the machine's desire to be logical.
Narrative: It further verifies the differences between cognitive dissonance and self-deception and how we use narrative to craft, shift, modify, and create our desired outcome.
To err is human, to rationalize is cognitive dissonance, and to recognize both is progress.
Conclusion: Cognitive dissonance is an intrinsic event of lying to oneself to avoid harsh truths. Lying is knowingly misstating the truth to others.
However, are they both just a form of lying?
"Every lie is two lies — the lie we tell others and the lie we tell ourselves to justify it." - Robert Brault
Your Thoughts May Vary: Many mental models are discussed, and there are probably better <> models to apply. We can make better, more logical decisions by examining our cognitive dissonances.
Thought Improvement values constructive appreciation comments and invites you to share your unique perspectives, thought-provoking ideas, and insightful suggestions.
Together <>, we can all enhance our understanding of cognitive dissonance <>.
Click here for our Disclaimers, Disclosures, Disavowals, And Declarations <>.
12 Angry Men - Not Guilty
A Lot Of Angry Men: There have been several notable adaptations of 12 Angry Men, including the original 1954 television play with Robert Cummings, the referenced-above 1957 film featuring Henry Fonda and Lee J. Cobb, the 1997 television movie directed by William Friedkin starring Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott, the 2007 Russian adaptation titled 12 produced by Nikita Mikhalkov, and the 1986 Indian adaptation Ek Ruka Hua Faisla directed by Basu Chatterjee.
2001: A Space Odyssey has a sequel, 2010: The Year We Make Contact.