Which term describes the unpleasant mental tension resulting from holding two conflicting thoughts or beliefs?

Which term describes the unpleasant mental tension resulting from holding two conflicting thoughts or beliefs?

• A. Cognitive Dissonance
• B. Flow
• C. Intrinsic Motivation
• D. External Locus of Control

Answer: (A)

Cognitive dissonance is the uneasy mental tension that arises when you hold two conflicting thoughts, beliefs, or when your behavior clashes with your beliefs. This term captures the specific discomfort caused by those internal conflicts, and the drive to reduce that tension is what often leads people to change a belief, justify their behavior, downplay the importance of the conflict, or alter their actions to align with their beliefs. For example, someone who values health but smokes experiences dissonance and may quit, rationalize why smoking isn’t that harmful, or downplay health concerns. The other concepts describe different ideas: flow is a state of complete immersion in an activity; intrinsic motivation is doing something for internal satisfaction; external locus of control is the belief that outcomes are determined by outside forces.

Cognitive dissonance is the uneasy mental tension that arises when you hold two conflicting thoughts, beliefs, or when your behavior clashes with your beliefs. This term captures the specific discomfort caused by those internal conflicts, and the drive to reduce that tension is what often leads people to change a belief, justify their behavior, downplay the importance of the conflict, or alter their actions to align with their beliefs. For example, someone who values health but smokes experiences dissonance and may quit, rationalize why smoking isn’t that harmful, or downplay health concerns. The other concepts describe different ideas: flow is a state of complete immersion in an activity; intrinsic motivation is doing something for internal satisfaction; external locus of control is the belief that outcomes are determined by outside forces.