Convincing oneself that something is good
Sometimes we want to believe something so badly that we convince ourselves that it is true.
Is there a term for this?
Best
meaning obscure-terms
add a comment |
Sometimes we want to believe something so badly that we convince ourselves that it is true.
Is there a term for this?
Best
meaning obscure-terms
It's probably not exactly right, but I'd be likely to call it wish fulfillment
– FumbleFingers
May 7 '15 at 13:52
add a comment |
Sometimes we want to believe something so badly that we convince ourselves that it is true.
Is there a term for this?
Best
meaning obscure-terms
Sometimes we want to believe something so badly that we convince ourselves that it is true.
Is there a term for this?
Best
meaning obscure-terms
meaning obscure-terms
asked May 7 '15 at 13:46
rodms
1515
1515
It's probably not exactly right, but I'd be likely to call it wish fulfillment
– FumbleFingers
May 7 '15 at 13:52
add a comment |
It's probably not exactly right, but I'd be likely to call it wish fulfillment
– FumbleFingers
May 7 '15 at 13:52
It's probably not exactly right, but I'd be likely to call it wish fulfillment
– FumbleFingers
May 7 '15 at 13:52
It's probably not exactly right, but I'd be likely to call it wish fulfillment
– FumbleFingers
May 7 '15 at 13:52
add a comment |
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
? self-delusion,
"A clear case of self-delusion... "He was suffering from self-delusion, he knew, but...
"He knew he was deluding himself, but he headed for the meeting any way."
add a comment |
You can be said to be deluding yourself
verb (used with object), deluded, deluding.
- to mislead the mind or judgment of; deceive:
His conceit deluded him into believing he was important.
www.dictionary.com
add a comment |
If you're looking for a more technical term, cognitive dissonance could work. It's a psychological term for when people hold two conflicting beliefs (such as when they learn something that contradicts what they believe to be true) and must attempt to reconcile them.
One method of doing this, the belief disconfirmation paradigm, involves "misperception, rejection or refutation of the [new] information" (Wikipedia). In other words, people choose to keep believing what they initially believed, even in the face of evidence that their initial belief is wrong.
A similar concept is choice-supportive bias, which causes people to focus only on the positive aspects of something they have chosen, while ignoring any negative aspects of it. This helps reconcile any cognitive dissonance brought about by the conflicting beliefs "I chose X because I want it" and "X has undesirable qualities."
add a comment |
Rationalize:
“attempt to explain or justify (one's own or another's behavior or
attitude) with logical, plausible reasons, even if these are not true
or appropriate.”
‘she couldn't rationalize her urge to return to the cottage’
[Oxford Living Dictionaries]
New contributor
Hi Kev, welcome to EL&U. If you quote someone else's words, it's essential that you acknowledge the source. It's not only polite to give the original author credit, it also avoids the more serious charge of plagiarism. As it's your first post, I've edited it to add the source and a link, and I've added an example from the same source. For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
– Chappo
4 hours ago
add a comment |
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4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
? self-delusion,
"A clear case of self-delusion... "He was suffering from self-delusion, he knew, but...
"He knew he was deluding himself, but he headed for the meeting any way."
add a comment |
? self-delusion,
"A clear case of self-delusion... "He was suffering from self-delusion, he knew, but...
"He knew he was deluding himself, but he headed for the meeting any way."
add a comment |
? self-delusion,
"A clear case of self-delusion... "He was suffering from self-delusion, he knew, but...
"He knew he was deluding himself, but he headed for the meeting any way."
? self-delusion,
"A clear case of self-delusion... "He was suffering from self-delusion, he knew, but...
"He knew he was deluding himself, but he headed for the meeting any way."
edited May 7 '15 at 14:06
answered May 7 '15 at 13:56
Hugh
7,2561836
7,2561836
add a comment |
add a comment |
You can be said to be deluding yourself
verb (used with object), deluded, deluding.
- to mislead the mind or judgment of; deceive:
His conceit deluded him into believing he was important.
www.dictionary.com
add a comment |
You can be said to be deluding yourself
verb (used with object), deluded, deluding.
- to mislead the mind or judgment of; deceive:
His conceit deluded him into believing he was important.
www.dictionary.com
add a comment |
You can be said to be deluding yourself
verb (used with object), deluded, deluding.
- to mislead the mind or judgment of; deceive:
His conceit deluded him into believing he was important.
www.dictionary.com
You can be said to be deluding yourself
verb (used with object), deluded, deluding.
- to mislead the mind or judgment of; deceive:
His conceit deluded him into believing he was important.
www.dictionary.com
answered May 7 '15 at 13:56
Marv Mills
10.8k42154
10.8k42154
add a comment |
add a comment |
If you're looking for a more technical term, cognitive dissonance could work. It's a psychological term for when people hold two conflicting beliefs (such as when they learn something that contradicts what they believe to be true) and must attempt to reconcile them.
One method of doing this, the belief disconfirmation paradigm, involves "misperception, rejection or refutation of the [new] information" (Wikipedia). In other words, people choose to keep believing what they initially believed, even in the face of evidence that their initial belief is wrong.
A similar concept is choice-supportive bias, which causes people to focus only on the positive aspects of something they have chosen, while ignoring any negative aspects of it. This helps reconcile any cognitive dissonance brought about by the conflicting beliefs "I chose X because I want it" and "X has undesirable qualities."
add a comment |
If you're looking for a more technical term, cognitive dissonance could work. It's a psychological term for when people hold two conflicting beliefs (such as when they learn something that contradicts what they believe to be true) and must attempt to reconcile them.
One method of doing this, the belief disconfirmation paradigm, involves "misperception, rejection or refutation of the [new] information" (Wikipedia). In other words, people choose to keep believing what they initially believed, even in the face of evidence that their initial belief is wrong.
A similar concept is choice-supportive bias, which causes people to focus only on the positive aspects of something they have chosen, while ignoring any negative aspects of it. This helps reconcile any cognitive dissonance brought about by the conflicting beliefs "I chose X because I want it" and "X has undesirable qualities."
add a comment |
If you're looking for a more technical term, cognitive dissonance could work. It's a psychological term for when people hold two conflicting beliefs (such as when they learn something that contradicts what they believe to be true) and must attempt to reconcile them.
One method of doing this, the belief disconfirmation paradigm, involves "misperception, rejection or refutation of the [new] information" (Wikipedia). In other words, people choose to keep believing what they initially believed, even in the face of evidence that their initial belief is wrong.
A similar concept is choice-supportive bias, which causes people to focus only on the positive aspects of something they have chosen, while ignoring any negative aspects of it. This helps reconcile any cognitive dissonance brought about by the conflicting beliefs "I chose X because I want it" and "X has undesirable qualities."
If you're looking for a more technical term, cognitive dissonance could work. It's a psychological term for when people hold two conflicting beliefs (such as when they learn something that contradicts what they believe to be true) and must attempt to reconcile them.
One method of doing this, the belief disconfirmation paradigm, involves "misperception, rejection or refutation of the [new] information" (Wikipedia). In other words, people choose to keep believing what they initially believed, even in the face of evidence that their initial belief is wrong.
A similar concept is choice-supportive bias, which causes people to focus only on the positive aspects of something they have chosen, while ignoring any negative aspects of it. This helps reconcile any cognitive dissonance brought about by the conflicting beliefs "I chose X because I want it" and "X has undesirable qualities."
answered May 7 '15 at 14:15
Nicole
9,48473784
9,48473784
add a comment |
add a comment |
Rationalize:
“attempt to explain or justify (one's own or another's behavior or
attitude) with logical, plausible reasons, even if these are not true
or appropriate.”
‘she couldn't rationalize her urge to return to the cottage’
[Oxford Living Dictionaries]
New contributor
Hi Kev, welcome to EL&U. If you quote someone else's words, it's essential that you acknowledge the source. It's not only polite to give the original author credit, it also avoids the more serious charge of plagiarism. As it's your first post, I've edited it to add the source and a link, and I've added an example from the same source. For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
– Chappo
4 hours ago
add a comment |
Rationalize:
“attempt to explain or justify (one's own or another's behavior or
attitude) with logical, plausible reasons, even if these are not true
or appropriate.”
‘she couldn't rationalize her urge to return to the cottage’
[Oxford Living Dictionaries]
New contributor
Hi Kev, welcome to EL&U. If you quote someone else's words, it's essential that you acknowledge the source. It's not only polite to give the original author credit, it also avoids the more serious charge of plagiarism. As it's your first post, I've edited it to add the source and a link, and I've added an example from the same source. For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
– Chappo
4 hours ago
add a comment |
Rationalize:
“attempt to explain or justify (one's own or another's behavior or
attitude) with logical, plausible reasons, even if these are not true
or appropriate.”
‘she couldn't rationalize her urge to return to the cottage’
[Oxford Living Dictionaries]
New contributor
Rationalize:
“attempt to explain or justify (one's own or another's behavior or
attitude) with logical, plausible reasons, even if these are not true
or appropriate.”
‘she couldn't rationalize her urge to return to the cottage’
[Oxford Living Dictionaries]
New contributor
edited 4 hours ago
Chappo
2,59541225
2,59541225
New contributor
answered 17 hours ago
Kev
111
111
New contributor
New contributor
Hi Kev, welcome to EL&U. If you quote someone else's words, it's essential that you acknowledge the source. It's not only polite to give the original author credit, it also avoids the more serious charge of plagiarism. As it's your first post, I've edited it to add the source and a link, and I've added an example from the same source. For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
– Chappo
4 hours ago
add a comment |
Hi Kev, welcome to EL&U. If you quote someone else's words, it's essential that you acknowledge the source. It's not only polite to give the original author credit, it also avoids the more serious charge of plagiarism. As it's your first post, I've edited it to add the source and a link, and I've added an example from the same source. For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
– Chappo
4 hours ago
Hi Kev, welcome to EL&U. If you quote someone else's words, it's essential that you acknowledge the source. It's not only polite to give the original author credit, it also avoids the more serious charge of plagiarism. As it's your first post, I've edited it to add the source and a link, and I've added an example from the same source. For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
– Chappo
4 hours ago
Hi Kev, welcome to EL&U. If you quote someone else's words, it's essential that you acknowledge the source. It's not only polite to give the original author credit, it also avoids the more serious charge of plagiarism. As it's your first post, I've edited it to add the source and a link, and I've added an example from the same source. For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
– Chappo
4 hours ago
add a comment |
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It's probably not exactly right, but I'd be likely to call it wish fulfillment
– FumbleFingers
May 7 '15 at 13:52