self-propaganda

Self-propaganda is the way in which people convince themselves of something regardless of the evidence against it. They will go over their side of the argument without considering the alternative arguments. Introduction Self-propaganda is a form of propaganda and indoctrination performed by an individual or a group on oneself. It functions at individual and social levels: political, economic, and religious. It hides behind partial truths and ignores questions of critical thought. The psychological process of utilizing self-propaganda can negatively influence values and beliefs, and subsequent perceptions and judgments, thus becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Self-propaganda can also be a form of self-deception. Those whose values match the self deceptions are even further impacted. Confirmation bias and cognitive dissonance can cause people to further perpetuate the propaganda, reaffirming or reinforcing their beliefs despite contradicting evidence. Historical context Propaganda is most successful when self- propaganda is also involved. Self-propaganda makes it easier for individuals to justify their own actions as well as the actions of others. This can be due in part to the fact that belief in actions can greatly reduce cognitive dissonance. Historically propaganda is widely associated with wartime measures and justifications. One of the most well-known examples of Propaganda's ability to allow individuals to convince themselves is During World-War 2. At this time Nazi Germany had large propaganda campaigns against the Jews. While self propaganda does make such government efforts of propaganda more effective, self-propaganda can also refer to any lie that individuals tell themselves or becomes convinced of.