Cognitive Dissonance is Caused by “Alternative Facts”

(noun) Cognitive dissonance, also called Cog-Dis, is a feeling of discomfort when one of our beliefs conflicts with another of our beliefs.

When something we feel is true, is not consistent with something else that our minds know and understand to be a fact, then we experience dissonance. Our minds will attempt to find a way to deal with the discord by rationalizing and by twisting or avoiding reality.

Psychopaths never feel cognitive dissonance because they live in the reality they’ve created.  Psychopaths call their reality, “The truth I made up” and “Alternative facts.”  Reality is plastic for the psychopath.  But for the victims of psychopaths, their lives are filled with cognitive dissonance as the psychopath’s various “realities” clash violently with the reality that they  know.  Because the psychopath exhibits supreme confidence in himself and his beliefs, the victim will doubt themselves more than they doubt the psychopath.  They usually end up giving up their reality and join the psychopath in Never Never Land.

This doesn’t stop the cognitive dissonance though.  The psychopath’s lies continue to morph new realities all the time.  Of course they rationalize and reassure the victim that everything they say is the truth, but deep down in their gut, the victim continues to feel dissonance and unease.  Now, not only must the victim come to terms with the opposing belief systems being presented but she must also justify her own actions within those conflicting belief systems.

Eventually, the psychopath pulls his mask off and the victim realizes, to their horror, that nothing was real.  Nothing at all.  The victim had been existing in a theater setting where up was down and vice versa.  Everything they ever believed in, is shattered.  This is an opportunity for the victim to finally commit to reality once and for all.  As victims begins to see past the smoke and mirrors created by all the psychopaths in their lives, reality crystallizes.