questions for psychology nerds

[Oppositional P]

Isn't cognative dissonance just an unnecessarily fancy term for denial?

Wouldn't you save alot of energy by just saying "denial?"

Is there some fancy psychological explanation for why psychologists need a six syllable term to replace a three-syllable word?

I'm on to you:wtf:

[slipknotpsycho]

you know i can almost garuntee i know what you mean... but for some reason (i am partly retarded..) when two big words merge, all of a sudden i can't understand it (a great exampl eof this is me trying to learn growing, i read growing faq's and shit, and i can't understand any of it, but yet i know every single word, and it's meaning.... just something about the way my brain processess shit and puts it together....)

anyways, give me a sec, i gotta dictionary.com this shit to come with my answer..

[kingjustin]

denial is more of a subcategory of cognitive dissonance.

[slipknotpsycho]

err.. ok that didn't help... lol... this one i guess is beyond my comprehension...

ok i just looked up teh words together and this is what i got...
anxiety that results from simultaneously holding contradictory or otherwise incompatible attitudes, beliefs, or the like, as when one likes a person but disapproves strongly of one of his or her habits.

which to me, means more then just denial...

[Oppositional P]

denial is more of a subcategory of cognitive dissonance.

Okay, thank you. By the way you're avatar is the most unexpected thing and my brain officially hurts as a result.

Anyway, this reminds me of a scene from Arrested Development (the funniest show ever)

It went something like this:

Tobias:This reminds me of a psychological concept called 'denial,' whereby the mind finds a concept so hateful that it rejects it all-together.
Lucille: You are a terrible psychologist and you will never be successful as an actor because you have no talent
Tobias: (after a pause) Well if you're not going to say anything I guess this conversation is over.