We Americans are living now no longer in the United States of America but in the Divided States of Cognitive Dissonance.
"The minute we make a decision," according to social psychologists, "we begin to justify the wisdom of our choice and find reason to dismiss the alternative." We can see this mechanic at work clearly in responses to COVID-19 and, of course, with reference to voters who chose to cast their vote for Donald Trump. No matter how the general evidence builds that is contrary to our original decision, we stubbornly stick to our guns, grasping for whatever straws we can find, even those that are demonstrably ludicrous on their face, such as the claim to a freedom guaranteed by the constitution--in this case, the freedom to put oneself and everyone else at risk by the refusal to wear a mask in order to decrease the spread of disease. ('You can't tell me what to do. That's communism/fascism').
Admitting to having made a mistake, to having been wrong, is difficult, it is actually painful.
"Members of Heaven's Gate, a religious cult, believed that as the Hale-Bopp comet passed Earth in 1997, a spaceship would be traveling in its wake--ready to take true believers aboard. Several members of the group bought an expensive, high-powered telescope so that they might get a clearer view of the comet. They quickly brought it back and asked for are refund. When the manager asked why, they complained that the telescope was defective, that it didn't show the spaceship following the comet." As most will remember, all 39 members of this group killed themselves.
An extreme example, but a good picture how people, rather than accept they have been wrong, will go to the ultimate extent to insist they were right.
"This dynamic is playing out during the pandemic among the many people who refuse to wear masks or practice social distancing. Human beings are deeply unwilling to change their minds. And when the facts clash with their preexisting convictions some people would sooner jeopardize their health and everyone else's than accept new information or admit to being wrong."
Trump himself said rightly that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and his supporters would still support him, although it is not likely that he understood why this would be the case. The people have simply become entrenched in their decision alone and now cling to pride, to saving face, to that astronomically unlikely chance that he might suddenly become the person they thought they were voting for. People avoid feeling ashamed at all costs.
I have sometimes had to admit to being wrong. It is unpleasant, it is embarrassing. And yet, once done, it is liberating. One need not continue to be wrong, and in this he may once again be 'right'. His integrity is restored, though damaged, which really only means that he is human (and everyone understands what it is to be human). Humility has great strength and appeal of its own, and moreover may be carried to every future evaluation and decision.
[All quotes are from The Atlantic, The Role of Cognitive Dissonance in the Pandemic]
"The minute we make a decision," according to social psychologists, "we begin to justify the wisdom of our choice and find reason to dismiss the alternative." We can see this mechanic at work clearly in responses to COVID-19 and, of course, with reference to voters who chose to cast their vote for Donald Trump. No matter how the general evidence builds that is contrary to our original decision, we stubbornly stick to our guns, grasping for whatever straws we can find, even those that are demonstrably ludicrous on their face, such as the claim to a freedom guaranteed by the constitution--in this case, the freedom to put oneself and everyone else at risk by the refusal to wear a mask in order to decrease the spread of disease. ('You can't tell me what to do. That's communism/fascism').
Admitting to having made a mistake, to having been wrong, is difficult, it is actually painful.
"Members of Heaven's Gate, a religious cult, believed that as the Hale-Bopp comet passed Earth in 1997, a spaceship would be traveling in its wake--ready to take true believers aboard. Several members of the group bought an expensive, high-powered telescope so that they might get a clearer view of the comet. They quickly brought it back and asked for are refund. When the manager asked why, they complained that the telescope was defective, that it didn't show the spaceship following the comet." As most will remember, all 39 members of this group killed themselves.
An extreme example, but a good picture how people, rather than accept they have been wrong, will go to the ultimate extent to insist they were right.
"This dynamic is playing out during the pandemic among the many people who refuse to wear masks or practice social distancing. Human beings are deeply unwilling to change their minds. And when the facts clash with their preexisting convictions some people would sooner jeopardize their health and everyone else's than accept new information or admit to being wrong."
Trump himself said rightly that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and his supporters would still support him, although it is not likely that he understood why this would be the case. The people have simply become entrenched in their decision alone and now cling to pride, to saving face, to that astronomically unlikely chance that he might suddenly become the person they thought they were voting for. People avoid feeling ashamed at all costs.
I have sometimes had to admit to being wrong. It is unpleasant, it is embarrassing. And yet, once done, it is liberating. One need not continue to be wrong, and in this he may once again be 'right'. His integrity is restored, though damaged, which really only means that he is human (and everyone understands what it is to be human). Humility has great strength and appeal of its own, and moreover may be carried to every future evaluation and decision.
[All quotes are from The Atlantic, The Role of Cognitive Dissonance in the Pandemic]
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