The Consistency Principle

Psychologists have long understood the power of the consistency principle to direct human action. But is this tendency to be consistent really strong enough to compel us to do what we ordinarily would not want to do? The drive to be and look consistent constitutes a highly potent weapon of social influence, often causing us to act in ways that are clearly contrary to our own best interests. When it occurs unthinkingly consistency can be disastrous but even blind consistency has its attractions. It offers a short cut through the density of modern life. Once we have made up our minds about an issue, stubborn consistency allows us a very appealing luxury. We don't have to sift through the blizzard of information we encounter every