Lance Armstrong's confession to using performance-enhancing substances caused fans to experience what psychological reaction?

Lance Armstrong's confession to using performance-enhancing substances caused fans to experience what psychological reaction?

• A. Experienced extreme cognitive dissonance
• B. Feelings of indifference
• C. Immediate admiration
• D. Renewed trust

Answer: (A)

Cognitive dissonance is the psychological tension that happens when someone holds two conflicting beliefs or attitudes at once. When fans admired Armstrong as a heroic champion and then learn he used performance-enhancing substances, they’re faced with a clash between their positive view of him and the truth of his cheating. That internal conflict creates discomfort, and people try to reduce it by reinterpreting the situation, downplaying the wrongdoing, or altering their own beliefs about what matters in sport. This kind of reaction—feeling mixed, unsettled, and motivated to reconcile the inconsistency—is best captured by cognitive dissonance, rather than indifference, immediate admiration, or renewed trust, which don’t reflect the inner conflict sparked by the confession.

Cognitive dissonance is the psychological tension that happens when someone holds two conflicting beliefs or attitudes at once. When fans admired Armstrong as a heroic champion and then learn he used performance-enhancing substances, they’re faced with a clash between their positive view of him and the truth of his cheating. That internal conflict creates discomfort, and people try to reduce it by reinterpreting the situation, downplaying the wrongdoing, or altering their own beliefs about what matters in sport. This kind of reaction—feeling mixed, unsettled, and motivated to reconcile the inconsistency—is best captured by cognitive dissonance, rather than indifference, immediate admiration, or renewed trust, which don’t reflect the inner conflict sparked by the confession.