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Century Dictionary
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WordNet
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The research also took into account parental influence, neural development in adolescence related to self-control, social capital - that is, the resources made available to people who are in social relationships - and cognitive dissonance, which is the motivation to behave according to one's beliefs to avoid the conflict of inconsistent thoughts or attitudes.— LifeSiteNews.com Headlines
I was reminded of As I Lay Dying - of a cognitive dissonance, a deliberately broken, heteroglossic approach to narrative that is much more often associated with modern authors like Joyce and Dos Passos but works remarkably well here.— The Millions
I vaguely remember someone actually doing a different study on physical vs. mental arousal which suggested that the dissonance is less the more comfortable a woman is with her sexuality— Pharyngula
In the case of wrong decisions, cognitive dissonance is a state of tension produced by two ideas, attitudes, or beliefs that are inconsistent.— BloggingStocks

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