(February 27, 2016 at 1:56 pm)robvalue Wrote: Wait... you're suggesting faith based views could cause less cognitive dissonance? I'm not following how that could work. Could you please explain?
I already tried to, but let me try again.
I think the most flawed aspects of many people's world view is the sense that the self lives forever (you can say you won't, but can you really ever let it sink in?), and that important people will be there forever. Keep in mind, I'm not talking about what people say they believe, but more about how ideas about self and family fit into the big picture of one's world view.
When a parent dies, it's something like a god dying-- it can have a huge impact on somebody. BUT I think that religious people are likely to adapt more easily and quickly, since their loved one isn't "really" dead, what with them being in Heaven and all. As for one's child dying-- I mean, Jesus fucking Christ that's hard for anyone. But if you really believe that little Sally is in Heaven, and that you'll meet her again someday and give her a big hug, that's going to reduce that dissonance. Such a person can get on with life, go back to work, seek support in church to keep their world view intact, and possibly avoid a mental breakdown.
By the way, I'd say the stages of grieving that everybody knows about are really different levels of cognitive dissonance.
