Final answer:
Cognitive dissonance is the psychological discomfort that arises from conflicting behaviors and attitudes or between two attitudes, leading to incongruence in a person's self-perception.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cognitive dissonance is an incompatibility or conflict between behavior and an attitude or between two different attitudes. According to psychologist Leon Festinger, cognitive dissonance is the psychological discomfort that arises from holding two or more inconsistent attitudes, behaviors, or cognitions (thoughts, beliefs, or opinions), especially those that run counter to one's positive self-perception. As an example, if someone knows that smoking is harmful to their health and yet continues to smoke, they experience cognitive dissonance because their behavior (smoking) clashes with their belief (knowing it's bad for health).
To alleviate this psychological discomfort, individuals may change their behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, or introduce new cognitions to justify their actions. This is often observed in collectivist cultures that emphasize communal relationships, where individual behavior can be influenced heavily by the collective norms and values, or within close relationships defined by companionate love, where one may adjust their behaviors or attitudes to sustain harmony.