DOWNLOAD AUDIO VERSION-Bridging The Gap-Freethinkingtools.com
Once we make a choice or take a stand, we will encounter personal and interpersonal pressures to behave consistently with that commitment. Robert Cialdini (1945-), social psychologist and professor, best know for his top selling book on persuasion, Influence.
Have you ever entered into a situation with a preconceived notion or set of beliefs that you felt unwilling to compromise on, regardless of what your counter part said or did? This might have been any type of situation like a sales or business negotiation, a discussion with a spouse, a barter with your kids…and no matter what happens you are just not going to budge on your position!
Why this happens to all of us is easily explained by the law of consistency! Human beings are guided by many laws but this one has to be one of the most illogical and actually bizarre laws when broken down. Psychologist Robert Cialdini in his book, Influence, highlights the fact that once a decision has been made, it becomes very important to be consistent with that decision rather than second guess or even be open to other options. He references a study that revealed that once people had chosen a horse to bet on at the track, they then felt much more confident that their choice of horse had a great chance of winning!
So what is happening here? Why do we feel so compelled to be consistent with our decisions even if they appear erroneous once we are faced with new evidence? Cialdini offers one simple argument that it’s just easier to be consistent with the original choice because it requires no additional thought…we can just turn back to that decision and roll comfortably along. Wow…are we really that lazy -minded that right or wrong we simply lock into one train of thought and give up any further effort? Unbelievable, but maybe exactly why we seem to have such poor communication.
