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Cognitve dissonance plays are very important part in the narcissistic campaign of abuse, entrancing supporters and victims alike. If you don’t want to get caught in the narcopath’s trail of destruction, it is vital to apply some critical thinking.
Unlike Flying Monkeys, Enablers etc, Cognitive Dissonance is not a physical person in the narc’s campaign of abuse. But you’ll understand why this page is listed as one of their players….
Cognitive dissonance
This is defined on Wikipedia as follows
“In the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort experienced by a person who simultaneously holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values. This discomfort is triggered by a situation in which a person’s belief clashes with new evidence perceived by that person”
Narcissists rely on cognitive dissonance in order to carry out their campaigns of abuse, whereby no-one can believe that charming person they know, the Dr Jekyll, could possibly be responsible for the heinously toxic acts, even when presented with hard evidence of the Mr Hyde. The truth is so hard to accept that people take the easier option and bury their heads in the sand until the problem goes away.
Cognitive dissonance is why so many of the narcissist’s friends, supporters, flying and monkeys stick around them when all of the advice would be to maintain a healthy distance from them. They just can’t see the wood from the trees.
This, together with trauma-bonding, are the two big challenges that victims need to overcome if they are to break free and recover.
Critical thinking
This is the opposite:
“Critical thinking means making reasoned judgments that are logical and well-thought out. It is a way of thinking in which you don’t simply accept all arguments and conclusions you are exposed to but rather have an attitude involving questioning such arguments and conclusions. It requires wanting to see what evidence is involved to support a particular argument or conclusion. People who use critical thinking are the ones who say things such as, ‘How do you know that? Is this conclusion based on evidence or gut feelings?’ and ‘Are there alternative possibilities when given new pieces of information?’ which you don’t simply accept all arguments and conclusions you are exposed to but rather have an attitude involving questioning such arguments and conclusions. It requires wanting to see what evidence is involved to support a particular argument or conclusion.”
The problem with critical thinking is that sometimes it takes courage to accept the truth for what it is, and to deal with whatever consequences accordingly.
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External Links
Cognitive Dissonance |SimplyPsychology
Unreality Check: Cognitive Dissonance in Narcissistic Abuse | GoodTherapy
The Place of Cognitive Dissonance in Narcissistic Victim Syndrome | NarcissisticBehaviour