Influence: Science and Practice Cialdini (2001)

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Influence Science and PracticeCialdini (2001)

• Chapter 3
• Commitment and Consistency

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Consistency

• Once we make a choice or take a stand, we will
  encounter personal and interpersonal pressures to
  behave consistently with that commitment.
• Valued by Society
• Generally, this is a personally and socially
  adaptive trait.
• Offers a shortcut through complexities of life.

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Consistency

• Why?
• Reduces need to process information in similar
  situations
• Enables evasion of hard truths
• Sara and Tim
• TM
• Profiteers Exploit Unthinking, Mechanical
  Consistency
• Large Toy Manufacturers

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Commitment is the Key

• Commitment is the Click that Activates the Whirr
  of Powerful Consistency Tapes
• Commitments Are Most Effective at Affecting
  Self-Image and Producing Consistency When They
  Are
• Active
• e.g., Power of Written Word
• Public
• e.g., juries, weight loss, smoking cessation
• Effortful
• e.g., hazing rituals
• Viewed as Internally Motivated
• More Important Than Other 3 Combined
• Need to Own Behavior
• e. g., children
• Lenient Policy of Red Chinese During Korean War
• Large Wedding Ceremonies Characteristic of Most
  Cultures

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Commitment

• Commitment Decisions Tend to be Self-Perpetuating
• Growing Legs to Stand On
• Once commitment is made people tend to add new
  reasons and justifications for the commitment and
  will often stick to the commitment even after
  original reason is removed.
• e.g., energy conservation, low-balling

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Defense

• An awareness that, although consistency is
  generally good, even vital, there is a foolish,
  rigid variety to be shunned. Be wary.
• Listen to Stomach Signs
• Explain to requester that compliance would be
  foolish consistency in which we prefer not to
  engage
• Listen to Heart-of-Hearts Signs
• Knowing what I know, if I could go back in time,
  would I make the same commitments?