What psychological discomfort arises from holding conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes?

Cognitive dissonance refers to the psychological discomfort experienced when a person holds two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or attitudes simultaneously. This discomfort arises because the conflicting cognitions create tension, leading the individual to feel compelled to resolve the inconsistency in a way that reduces the dissonance. Often, people may change their beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors to achieve harmony between their conflicting cognitions.

For example, if someone values health and simultaneously smokes cigarettes, they might experience cognitive dissonance. The discomfort from recognizing the conflict between their health values and smoking behavior may lead them to quit smoking, justify the behavior, or downplay the health risks associated with smoking.

The other options do not accurately capture this specific psychological phenomenon. Emotional imbalance refers more broadly to disruptions in emotional stability, group pressure pertains to the influence of a group on an individual’s behavior or attitudes, and social conflict generally describes disagreements or disputes in societal contexts without the internal conflict aspect that cognitive dissonance specifically entails.