The term itself is concerned more with a person's own experience of the world. What you're describing, i. e. his actions/words as observable by others, is proba

The term itself is concerned more with a person's own experience of the world. What you're describing, i. e. his actions/words as observable by others, is probably closer to 'hypocrisy'. "Cognitive dissonance' is far less judgemental–its considered to be an essential mechanism of learning.