The more deeply held your belief is, the harder it will be to change your mind. When faced with contradictory information, it can be difficult to let go of what you already believe. This is known as cognitive dissonance. For example, if you were told that you had a 50% chance of winning a prize, and then won, you would feel good about yourself. However, if someone else told you that you had only a 1% chance of winning, and you lost, you would feel bad about yourself, because you do not want to admit defeat. Leon Festinger and his teacher/colleague, Kurt Lewin called this phenomenon ‘cognitive dissonance’. Cognitive dissonance occurs when people hold two conflicting beliefs (i.e. having one set of attitudes towards something, and another) simultaneously.
In order to reduce the discomfort of cognitive dissonance, we may accept new information or modify our existing ideas. We can also attempt to reconcile inconsistent data. Alternatively, we can try to make the new information compatible with our current beliefs. Our attitudes and beliefs often define us, and so are likely to resist change. People who hold strongly held views are not likely to consider alternatives.
