Why don't people admit that they're wrong?

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Whenever there is some sort of debate, and a person proves their opponent wrong with solid evidence, the opponent either ignores the proof and continues their nonsense, or they stop posting altogether and the topic dies. They never admit that they are wrong.

Why is that? If I am proved wrong, I acknowledge my opponent is right, I admit that I am wrong, and I apologize. It's just that easy!
Plus, I learn something new! I wouldn't want to continue spouting off incorrect facts and looking like an idiot. I like to have the correct facts.

Do people not like to learn new things? Do they enjoy looking like an idiot?

It depends more on the conclusions made than the surrounding facts. If the person cannot take in the new facts and make new connections in order to form new conclusions, then the contradictory evidence wasn't "overwhelming" to them. Either that or they are not smart; the arguments are subjective or they really don't care because they have strong systems of beliefs that help them go about daily business.

You have a point though; some people have so much pride that they don't want to give it up by admitting defeat and perhaps they may fool themselves into thinking they are right [in denial] just so they feel like their ego hasn't been damaged.

It could be that they do not feel that they have been proven wrong: Perhaps they don't understand their opponent's argument or perhaps their opponent's proof doesn't seem so strong to them as it does to the opponent.

It could be that they are trolling.

It could be that what they were arguing about was important to them, and so it is unpleasant to them to admit wrongness. This would incline them to believe the opponent's proof is not as strong as their opponent thinks it is.

I say that I think you are wrong on saying it should be easy to accept being wrong. One's judgements and opinions are an important part of the person and so to admit wrongness is to admit inferiority, which is an unpleasant thing for most people to do because admitting inferiority leads to weakening one's position in social hierarchy. To cling to opinions is a very human thing to do, as is the desire to mask a weakness.

its just too common, and no they arent trolls.

my mother is extremely stubborn when it comes this stuff, on top of that, she is sensationalistic about everything, and i am very nitpickish about everything. bad combination.
my mother: "in india every single living woman is set on fire, every day."
me: "that makes no sense. that would mean half a billion dead, daily. plus they would run out of women, on the first day."
my mother: "I SAID - - - THEY SET THEM ALL ON FIRE!! !"
me: "fine, fine... "

a bit exaggerated, but we got little chats like that every time we meet :]

Or, they—or the culture they grew up in—sees admitting being wrong or at fault as a sign of weakness, which they won't risk. They generally aren't fooling anyone, but they won't admit that, either, even to themselves.

I always admit I am wrong when I am wrong. Though I'm a poor debater so when someone opposes my opinion I'm more like "Eh, that's cool man, whatever. I'll believe what I want to and you believe what you want."

Some people are SO lacking in a sense of self that their opinions become "them". So they refuse to be "actually" killed off "in their minds". For example, the Miss America contestant from California who said marriage should be between a man and a woman. It cost her the crown. But what the judges and all those jetsetters forgot to realize is that "HONESTY" is a virtue. That girl told the TRUTH. So in other words, YOU BETTER be for gay marriage or you can't be MF'N Miss America. I'm all for gay marriage but I honestly don't feel that that should've been a question in that pageant or a criteria for winning! I'd like to give that chubby, blond, gay judge a punch in the eye for going on Interent and called that girl a "Stupid b***h".
Just because someone doesn't agree with you, doesn't make them the damned devil!
When it comes to gay bashing, a great number of gays say they are human before they are gay and shouldn't be targeted but how come that doesn't apply when someone disagrees with gay marriage and the gays demonize people who disagree with them. Are they going to straight bash next? Some people will be "for" something and some will be "against" something but America is about freedom of choice. That California contestant had the right to tell what she honestly felt "bluntly". I guess Miss America wasn't allowed to be a Bible-carrying Christian. Where's the freedom there? If she lied in order to get the crown, then Miss America is a liar or a coward who could not speak her own truth. She's gonna get famous regardless.

Though this is a common aspect of human behaviour, what CleverKitten suggested does not indicate that the instances she was thinking of were a disagreement between two honest posters (although they almost certainly were, as this is ordinary human behaviour). Because one technique trolls use to bait others is to post a ridiculous view and then pretend to maintain it against all refutation, I felt it necessary to include the suggestion that they were a troll for sake of completeness, rather than because I believed that they were.

well yea, there are trolls, but my point was, a LOT of non-trolls, are worse than trolls ;]

I have to admit I never admit when I'm wrong

because telling does not equal explaining and certainly not teaching

does a teacher make his students feel wrong? of course not.

I have also wondered about that. They just make a fool of themselves. Its like people think they gets weak when saying they was wrong but I think its the opposite. I think its strenght to DO admit you was wrong!

Me neither.
I'm often accused of being arrogant, obstinate and egotistical because I often do not conceive of the possibility of an alternative point of view. I'm not trying to be rude, but I literally do not see the other side of the story. Tensions often escalate to a horrible, violent argument before I am able to eventually "get" what the other person was trying to say. This phenomenon has caused a lot of pain in the past.

NO, I'M NOT CRAZY, YOU'RE CRAZY!! !! !! !! !! !

Probably somethin t do with pride. In real life, if i am proved wrong, i just agree and point out how easily i could beat up whoever proved me wonrg.

This is how religion is allowed to function in the modern age. People just don't like having their worldview destroyed, no matter how false it is.