Why do you think a person gets so emotional when he/she is making an argument that is wrong?

Question

So, you think at the end is not even about the argument, but about the power to win an argument represents ?

Answer 1

it hurts their pride

Answer 2

This depends on whether they are wrong or if you are delusional and simply *think* they are wrong. It could be that someone with special receptors in their eyes sees the real color of the sun, which is green, but the rest of us are fooled with flawed receptors into thinking it is yellow. Which is the truth? Does their green become their yellow?

But let's say they are blatantly wrong and are being confronted with life experience evidence that their view can in no way conform, no matter how hard they try, to describe what is going on. This new issue results in a fun little condition called "Cognitive Dissonance," which results in:

"the perception of incompatibility between two cognitions, which can be defined as any element of knowledge, including attitude, emotion, belief, or behavior. The theory of cognitive dissonance holds that contradicting cognitions serve as a driving force that compels the mind to acquire or invent new thoughts or beliefs, or to modify existing beliefs, so as to reduce the amount of dissonance (conflict) between cognitions."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance

This concept has long fascinated me. In particular, I suspect that the condition that prods a person to adjust their cognitions includes some pain. Pain, as you may know, tends to activate adrenaline, which then tends to result in some display of increased energy and emotion. Anger in such a state would not be surprising. The next question then is, can the human accept the incoming contradictory information and deal with the stress of accepting two contradictory beliefs, or will they make some interesting rationalizations? More often they make the interesting rationalizations or act to control the inflow of conflicting information by outyelling it, running away, or flat-out denial.

For example, someone who is very comfortable with their religious beliefs will find physical evidence of evolution very intimidating. They may react emotionally, yell, run away, or refuse to accept it - coming up with all sorts of rationalizations about how it could be fabricated. I will not deny that some evidence *could* possibly be fabricated, such as some of supposed fossil discoveries 100 years ago, which just makes it even harder for them to look at actual evidence since one could rationalize that if one bit of evidence could be fabricated, so could the lot! Of course, their religious text could also be fabricated, but they refuse to consider that possibility...

Why? Comfort. The familiar belief system is comfortable and has attached reinforcers. Hence, irrational beliefs will be defended tooth and nail for some real reasons that have nothing to do with their arguments. They run from the pain of change and rush to the comfort of what they think they already know is "true."

Answer 3

Perhaps they are not wrong,at least in their eyes. They may become anxious and emotional because they lack the communication skills to make you understand their point of view. Just slow the conversation down and ask them to do the same. By doing this the compromising process has started.

Answer 4

Not true on wanting to win the argument its the emotion that is behind all of it. If you can't get someone to listen or they blow you
off well that's upsetting.

Answer 5

Because some people cannot stand being wrong, so they just get more upset, more frustrated and more emotional.

Answer 6

Because the more they see they are wrong... the harder it is for them too accept thier defeat... they are grasping at straws.