The Ikonoclast™

Cognitive Dissonance and Political Partisanship: How Psychology Shapes Our Political Reality

By N.S. Understanding Cognitive Dissonance Cognitive dissonance, a term introduced by Leon Festinger in his groundbreaking 1957 work, A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance, refers to the psychological stress or discomfort that arises when a person simultaneously holds two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or ideas.⁽⁴⁾ This dissonance compels individuals to either change their attitudes or…