When someone believes in things that are clearly false or misleading it is often referred to as cognitive dissonance combined with elements of confirmation bias and motivated reasoning.
- Cognitive Dissonance occurs when someone experiences mental discomfort from holding two conflicting beliefs—like suspecting that someone is a con artist but also being invested in supporting or believing in that person. To reduce this discomfort, they may rationalize their support, often ignoring or dismissing the negative evidence.
- Confirmation Bias plays a role when people actively seek information that supports their existing beliefs and ignore contradictory evidence. Followers may focus on any information that confirms their positive view of the person, even if there’s plenty of evidence to the contrary.
- Motivated Reasoning comes into play as followers may defend the individual to protect their self-image or sense of belonging. It’s difficult to admit to oneself that they’ve been deceived, so they may consciously or unconsciously defend the person to protect their self-worth or pride.
When these factors combine, people can become fiercely loyal to an individual even if, deep down, they sense that something is wrong.
