What psychological phenomenon can result from holding two contradictory beliefs simultaneously?

• A. Cognitive coherence
• B. Semantic memory
• C. Cognitive dissonance
• D. Behavioral conditioning

Answer: (C)

Cognitive dissonance is the psychological phenomenon that occurs when an individual holds two contradictory beliefs or experiences conflicting thoughts, attitudes, or values. This state of discomfort leads the person to seek ways to reduce the dissonance, often by changing one of the beliefs, rationalizing the inconsistency, or adding new beliefs that help reconcile the opposing ideas.

For example, if someone values health but smokes cigarettes, they may experience cognitive dissonance. To alleviate this discomfort, they might quit smoking, justify their behavior by downplaying the health risks, or convince themselves that they can quit at any time. This illustrates how cognitive dissonance drives behavior change or justification processes as individuals strive for mental harmony.

The other terms do not accurately describe this particular phenomenon. Cognitive coherence relates to the consistency of beliefs or thoughts, semantic memory refers to the storage and recall of factual information, and behavioral conditioning pertains to learning associations between behaviors and outcomes, which is distinct from the internal conflict represented by cognitive dissonance.