As noted in the textbook,at the beginning of the Iraq war only 38% of Americans said the war was justified even if Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction.When no such weapons were found after the war,58% of Americans then supported the war.Myers explains this revision of people's memories of the government's rationale for going to war as an example of

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Cognitive dissonance occurs when people experience discomfort or tension between two conflicting beliefs or values. In this case, people may have initially believed the war was unjustified because there were no weapons of mass destruction, but after the war they may have felt the need to justify their support for the war by revising their memories or beliefs about the rationale for going to war. This revision of their beliefs or memories helps reduce the discomfort of conflicting beliefs, thus resulting in cognitive dissonance.

As Noted in the Textbook,at the Beginning of the Iraq