4 Commitment and Consistency Flashcards
Ch3
Commitment and Consistency
Consistency principle: once we make a choice or take a stand, we will encounter personal and interpersonal pressures to behave consistently with that commitment
- directs human action
- central motivator of behavior
- high degree of consistency is normally associated with personal and intellectual strengths
Advantages:
- shortcut, allows for convenient, effortless and efficient method for dealing with the complexities of daily life
- preprogrammed and mindless method of responding, automatic consistency can supply a safe hiding place from troubling realizations
Ch3
Commitment
What produces the click that activates the whirr of the powerful consistency
tape?
commitment
-If I can get you to make a commitment, I will have set
the stage for your automatic and ill-considered consistency with that earlier commitment
Ch3
Foot-in-the-door
1996
DEF: tactic of starting with a little request in order to gain eventual compliance
with related larger requests
!be very careful about
agreeing to trivial requests, because that agreement can influence our self-concepts
-> agreement can not only increase our compliance
with very similar, much larger requests, it can also make us more willing to
perform a variety of larger favors that are only remotely connected to the little one
we did earlier
Ch3
Commitment and Self-image
-you can use small commitments to manipulate a person´s self-image
-once you’ve got a person’s self-image where you
want it, that person should comply naturally with a whole range of requests that are consistent with this new self-view
-Not all commitments affect self-image -> certain conditions should be present for a commitment to be effective in this way: they should be active, public, effortful, and freely chosen
Ch3
Behavior and Commitment
-people themselves use this same evidence—their own behavior—to decide what they are like; it is a primary source of information about one’s own beliefs, values, and attitudes
-impact of behavior on one’s self-concept and future behavior can be seen in research investigating the effect of active versus passive commitments
-active commitments give us the kind of information
we use to shape self-image, which then shapes future actions, which solidify the
new self-image
-People have a natural tendency to think that a statement reflects the true attitude of the person who made it
-Unless there is strong evidence to the contrary, observers automatically assume that someone who makes such a statement means it
-once an active commitment is made, then, self-image is squeezed from both
sides by consistency pressures
-> From the inside, there is pressure to bring self-image
into line with action
->From the outside, there is a sneakier pressure—a ten
tendency to adjust this image according to the way others perceive us
Ch3
Commitment in the public eye
-Public commitments tend to be lasting commitments
-Whenever one takes a stand that is visible to others, there arises a drive to maintain that stand in order to look like a consistent person
-This sort of stubbornness can occur even in situations in which accuracy should
be more important than consistency
Ch3
The Extra Effort
-the more effort that goes into a commitment, the greater Is its ability to influence the attitudes of the person who made it
-hazing practices have been phenomenally resilient:
-> They function, oddly enough, to spur future society
members to find the group more attractive and worthwhile.
-> The loyalty and dedication
of those who emerge will increase to a great degree the chances of group
cohesiveness and survival
-> for groups concerned about fostering a lasting sense of solidarity and distinction, the hardship of demanding initiation
activities will not be easily undermined.
Ch3
Inner voice
-it appears that the commitments most effective in changing a person’s self-image and future behavior are those that are active, public, and effortful
!we accept inner responsibility for a behavior
when we think we have chosen to perform it in the absence of strong outside pressure
-> A large reward is one such external pressure - It may get us to perform certain actions, but it won’t get us to accept inner responsibility for the acts
-> The same is true of a strong threat; it may motivate
immediate compliance, but it is unlikely to produce long-term commitment
Ch3
Growing Legs
-compliance professionals love commitments that produce inner change
1. change is not just specific to the situation where it first occurred; it covers a whole range of related situations,
too
2. the effects of the change are lasting
- What is important about this process of generating additional reasons to justify the commitment is that the reasons are new
- even if the original reason for the civic-minded behavior were taken away, these newly discovered reasons alone might be enough to support their perceptions that they had behaved correctly
Ch3
Low-Balling
No matter which variety of low-balling is used, the sequence is the same:
An advantage is offered that induces a favorable purchase decision. Then, sometime
after the decision has been made, but before the bargain is sealed, the original purchase advantage is deftly removed
-ability of this tactic to make a person feel pleased with a poor choice
Ch3
Defense
Defense:
awareness that, although consistency is generally good, even vital, there is a foolish, rigid variety to
be shunned
-to know when such consistency is likely to lead to a poor choice
- Stomach Signs (realize we are trapped into complying with a request we know we don’t want to perform)
- Heart Signals (are the reasons genuine or mere justifications)
Ch3
Special Vulnerabilities
- Age
- Individualism
=> members of individualistic societies—particularly older members—need to be alert to influence tactics that begin by requesting just a small
step
Ch3
Summary
-tendency for consistency is fed from three sources
1. good personal consistency is highly valued by society
2. aside from its effect on public image, generally
consistent conduct provides a beneficial approach to daily life
3. a consistent orientation affords a valuable shortcut through the complexity of
modern existence
-merely needs to recall the earlier decision and to respond consistently
with it
-Within the realm of compliance, securing an initial commitment is the key.
After making a commitment, people are more willing to agree to requests that are in keeping with the prior commitment
-Commitment decisions, even erroneous ones, have a tendency to be self-perpetuating
-people often add
new reasons and justifications to support the wisdom of commitments they
have already made
-To recognize and resist the undue influence of consistency pressures on our compliance decisions, we should listen for signals coming from two places
within us: our stomachs and our heart of hearts
Ch3
Questions
- Why do we want to look and be consistent in most situations?
- Why do we find even rigid, stubborn consistency desirable in many situations?
- Which four factors cause a commitment to affect a person’s self-image and consequent
future action? - What makes written commitments so effective?
- What is the relationship between the compliance tactic of low-balling and the term
“growing its own legs”?
Vid 1
Commitment and consistency overview
- Cognitive dissonance
- Self-perception
- Social norm
- Self-persuasion
