Taking a stand triggers the consistency principle
If someone makes a public, verbal, or otherwise tangible expression of a position, the consistency principle is triggered and they become more naturally inclined to align with the stand they have (inadvertently) taken.
Once we realize that the power of consistency is formidable in directing human action, an important practical question immediately arises: How is that force engaged? What produces the click that activates the run of the powerful consistency program? Social psychologists think they know the answer: commitment. If I can get you to make a commitment (that is, to take a stand, to go on record), ==I will have set the stage for your automatic and ill-considered consistency with that earlier commitment. Once a stand is taken, there is a natural tendency to behave in ways that are stubbornly aligned with the stand.[1]
See also:
- Consistency principle is a social anchoring effect
- Anchoring Bias pulls an unknown value toward a known anchor
- Status quo bias favors the current state
Influence – Cialdini (2021), ch. 7, § “Commitment is the Key.” The authors note an example of a friend who consistently was rejected in job application interviews. “To change this outcome, he began employing the consistency principle on his own behalf. After assuring evaluators he wanted to answer all their questions as fully as possible, he added, ‘But, before we start, I wonder if you could answer a question for me. I’m curious, what was it about my background that attracted you to my candidacy?’ As a consequence, his evaluators heard themselves saying positive things about him and his qualifications, committing themselves to reasons to hire him before he had to make the case himself. He swears he has gotten three better jobs in a row by employing this technique.” ↩︎