Cognitive Dissonance

Okay, I didn't want to do two Mormon-related blogs in a row, but I can't get this out of my mind. Hereafter, I am creating a separate blog for the Mormon stuff (I didn't want to do that either, but there's so much to say!), so indulge me on this one.

Cognitive dissonance (or cog-dis) is a phrase that comes up a lot when talking about the Mormon faith. Dictionary.com defines it as "psychological conflict resulting from simultaneously held incongruous beliefs and attitudes" This can be so 'severe' as to result in something I'll call cognitive separation -it's been called other things but I'm really tired right now and don't want to look it up. Basically, one simultaneously holds separate and conflicting beliefs to be true, often not making the connection that they are contradictory. Ok, so why am I talking about this?

All day last Thursday I knew it was Thursday. No questions, I knew what day it was and that tomorrow would be Fri -until about 3pm. Many of my co-workers were taking Friday off so everybody was saying "see you Monday" when they left. I got home and suddenly was thinking it was Friday; I called my mom, asked why she wasn't answering her phone on a Friday night and then if she could alter my pants tomorrow (thinking that would be Saturday). I'm thinking the kid can go to bed late cuz I don't have to get up tomorrow....good thing I remembered before he went to bed what day it really was! But I remember during sophomore year of high school, on Thursday I would think it was Friday, but on Friday I wouldn't realize it was Friday, my brain sort of told me it was some other day between Thursday and Friday (I know how crazy that sounds).

So I know we all forget what day it is and stuff, but I was wondering what the hell is it with my brain that -although I knew it was Thursday- allowed me to suddenly think it was Friday? Further down the rabbit hole, what is it that continually made me think there was some day between Thursday and Friday??? That's ridiculous! So, I wondered if it had anything to do with the cog-dis and cog-separation that one develops from being Mormon. Have years of mental gymnastics and convoluted explanations and conflicting beliefs warped my mind that badly? It's completely plausible, if you ask me. It's one more way that growing up Mormon has effected the core of me. I find it interesting. (Then again, it could be because of the drugs they had me on in high school!)