Leon Festinger

Festinger is perhaps best known for the Theory of Cognitive Dissonance, which suggests that inconsistency among beliefs or behaviors will cause an uncomfortable psychological tension. This will lead people to change their beliefs to fit their actual behavior, rather than the other way around, as popular wisdom may suggest.

Wiki

Sounds like normal human behaviour; I do what I do, then I justify it....I believe in my justification.

Yeah! But this makes it official!

This implies that, for example, Peace Blondie (In this forum a recognised pacifist), would still have been a pacifist if adopted into a Papuan Highlands family and brought up with their life philosophy. That is to say, PB's pacifism is not a result of PB's Christianity, rather of PB's personality.

I read the thread title & thought you were talking about me.

I read the thread title & thought you were talking about me.

Dreams are free.....time for you to come out of the closet.

Don't you understand!!!

It means we're all wishywashy!

We tend to blend into the background and go with the flow in the real world.

So it's only in cyberspace where we dare express our true emotions?

Bucking Follocks say I!

Or do we only create emotions we wish we had?

I read the thread title & thought you were talking about me.

Dreams are free.....time for you to come out of the closet.

I shall pounce out and skin you alive , you strange odd fellow

Don't you understand!!!

It means we're all wishywashy!

mmmmmm, wishywashy, yes. But more, it means that we are self-interested. Our beliefs follow our actions. It suggests that one will take to a philosophy, or create one's own, based on what we want to do.

Common wisdom sees a Christian doing charitable works because christianity dictates it, whereas this theory says a person inclined to charity will take to Christianity or some other such belief.

Some of the unhappiest people I've known, including my first wife, insisted on awarding themselves "individual" traits that they just didn't have.

If you're blessed with ordinariness, what's the big deal? Get on with it.

If you happen to be a charitable person you can often do greater good as part of a group, the infrastructure is in place, and, of course, you have the admiration of like minded people.