Which psychological concept explains why people adjust their beliefs or actions when their attitudes do not align?

Cognitive dissonance is the psychological concept that describes the mental discomfort or tension that arises when an individual holds two or more contradictory beliefs, attitudes, or values, or when their behavior conflicts with their beliefs. This dissonance motivates the individual to reduce the discomfort, often by changing one of the conflicting elements.

For instance, if someone believes that smoking is harmful but continues to smoke, they may experience cognitive dissonance. To resolve this discomfort, they might either change their behavior (quit smoking), change their belief about smoking (convince themselves it isn't that harmful), or even downplay the significance of the conflicting belief. This dynamic of adjusting beliefs or actions to align them is central to the concept of cognitive dissonance.

The other options, while related to social behavior and psychology, do not specifically address the process of resolving contradictions between beliefs and actions in the same way. Social conformity relates more to changing behavior to fit in with a group, groupthink involves consensus-seeking within groups at the expense of critical thinking, and confirmation bias refers to the tendency to favor information that confirms existing beliefs rather than changing one’s views or actions.