Social Psychology - Cognitive Dissonance: I Don't Believe It!
Cognitive Dissonance happens when a person receives information that is incompatible with and conflicts with their already existing set of beliefs, values and perceptions. A state of dissonance is caused when the person challenges or is unable to accept the seemingly incompatible received information and they become more inclined to sway towards their own beliefs in order to fit in with their already preconceived perception of the world, rather than accept the information at face value.