What Cognitive Bias Is This: Believing Something Because It Fits One's Narrative
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Original Question
Merriam-Webster defines Narrative as" a way of presenting or understanding a situation or series of events that reflects and promotes a particular point of view or set of values."
People are often so convinced of their point of view that they believe things are true without evidence because it fits their narrative. We see this everyday on the news. One recent example is Justice Sotomeyer's claim that there are 100,000 pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations. I have no doubt she believed that when she made the claim. We all have such biases. Some people will believe without seeing evidence that Trump was guilty of Russian collusion; others think the Biden family (Hunter Biden etc.) are guilty of corruption. What is this common cognitive bias called? Can it be considered a fallacy?
Answers
2The Confirmation Bias is what you are describing. This is when we believe information/claims inline with our ideology and narratives, and reject claims that go against. It wouldn't be a fallacy.
Dr Bo is correct. It is easier, psychologically, to accept evidence that supports our beliefs. This is not a flaw in the logic of an argument, but a systemic flaw in reasoning. Thus, it's a cognitive bias, not a fallacy.
However, it often leads to biased ways of thinking that result in fallacies when attempting to justify one's position using argument. For instance, cherry picking.
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