Cognitive Consistency

Definition

• 1.
  You have a friend named Jeff who likes to smoke cigarettes regularly. After attending a lecture on the grave cause–effect relationship between smoking and cancer, he quits. Why?
• 2.
  This evening, you will be meeting with two people, Chris and Jean. You really like Chris, but you don't like Jean. However, Chris really likes Jean. Over the course of the evening, do you think that your attitude toward Jean will change?
• 3.
  About 50 years ago, a small group of people were told by a spaceman that the world was going to end. They were also told that at an appointed date and time (December 21, at midnight), a “visitor” would come and take them to a spaceship to be saved from the pending cataclysm. The small group prepared for their departure for many weeks. When midnight struck on the December 21, nothing happened. Nobody came, nor did the world come to an end. Do you think these outcomes changed their beliefs?

In these three situations, the concept of cognitive consistency may be used to predict and explain the various outcomes. Given the assumption that pleasant psychological states (i.e., balanced states) are preferred over those that are unpleasant,

Within this definition, the term cognitive refers to “thoughts, beliefs, knowledges, opinions, attitudes, and intents.” (The word cognitive is roughly equivalent to the word mental.) Thus, the term is defined rather broadly and encompasses almost anything that humans hold consciously. The term consistency refers to consistency across cognitions, meaning that cognitions should be in agreement, symmetrical, balanced, or congruent. Cognitions that are conflicting (asymmetrical) place individuals in an unpleasant psychological state. Since pleasant states are preferred, individuals experience a pressure to have these conflicting cognitions resolved, and they take action to reduce tension and reach psychological balance.

Cognitive consistency is one of the earliest concepts associated with social psychology. Fritz Heider is typically credited with first noting, in 1946, the concept within social psychological theory. However, in the 1950s, a flurry of psychological theory incorporated the term, with various applications and improvisations. Pioneering social psychology figures such as Leon Festinger, Fritz Heider, Theodore Newcomb, and Charles Osgood all produced theories incorporating cognitive consistency and supportive research. It is these theorists and their work which form the core group of cognitive consistency theories, including [Page 149]cognitive dissonance (Festinger), balance or p-o-x theory (Heider), the A-B-X system (Newcomb), and the principle of congruity (Osgood). Beyond this core group, a host of other theorists have continued to incorporate the concept. Over the years, cognitive consistency, especially Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance, has produced a wide body of research in both laboratory and applied settings, and has been shown to be valid and robust. It is a key concept within all social psychology textbooks, especially regarding attitude change, and continues to be a studied commodity within social psychology and related fields.

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