"Cognitive dissonance relates to the concept of being exposed to information or having experiences that conflict with our existing base of “what we know.” “Conspiracy theories” seem to be the quintessentially cognitive dissonant concepts of our culture. For many people, the idea that JFK was killed by the government or “9/11 was an inside job” threatens the entire fabric of their consciousness. These things simply cannot be true and people will bend over backwards and resort to irrationality and ridicule to avoid considering them." - Source: http://www.truthmove.org/content/cognitive-dissonance