------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 25, 2009 - Goanet's 15th Anniversary
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Below is a further extract for the article on this topic from Newsweek.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/213625?from=rss
Regards, GL
-----------------------------------------
"We refer to this as 'inferred justification,'" says Hoffman. Inferred
justification is a sort of backward chain of reasoning. You start with
something you believe strongly (the invasion of Iraq was the right move) and
work backward to find support for it (Saddam was behind 9/11). "For these
voters," says Hoffman, "the sheer fact that we were engaged in war led to a
post-hoc search for a justification for that war."
For an explanation of this behavior, look no further than the psychological
theory of cognitive dissonance. This theory holds that when people are
presented with information that contradicts preexisting beliefs, they try to
relieve the cognitive tension one way or another. They process and respond to
information defensively, for instance: their belief challenged by fact, they
ignore the latter. They also accept and seek out confirming information but
ignore, discredit the source of, or argue against contrary information, studies
have shown.
There are legitimate, fact-based reasons to oppose health-care reform. But some
of the loudest opposition is the result of confirmatory bias, cognitive
dissonance, and other examples of mental processes that have gone off the rails.
----------------------------------------------------------
Cognitive Dissonance! Where have we heard this word before?:=))
Regards, GL
