Download Agenda 3.4 Balance Theory P-O-X Theory (or Balance theory

Agenda 3.4
Balance Theory
• P-O-X Theory (or Balance theory)
Person – Other Person – Attitude Object (X)
• Relationships among P-O-X
Can be balanced or unbalanced
Individuals prefer balanced to unbalanced
Unbalanced – motivated to change
Balanced: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend”
Consistency
• Unlike other animals, humans feel the need to be consistent
Inconsistency is unpleasant
We specify conditions required to restore consistency
• Balance theory (P-O-X) explains that the relationships between person, other
person, and attitude object are balanced or unbalanced
Unbalanced relationships (inconsistent states) motivate people to achieve
balanced (consistent states) relationships
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
• Cognitive dissonance refers to unpleasant state when attitude and behavior
are inconsistent
Causes people to rationalize their behavior and bring their attitude into line with
actions
Why does Cognitive Dissonance Theory happen?
• Effort Justification:
People seek to justify and rationalize any suffering or effort they have made
Stronger attachment once this justification is made
• Justifying Choices
• If you perform an action but have no choice in the matter, then there is no
need to rationalize it
• Justifying Choices
Post-decision dissonance
– Difficult decisions involve tradeoffs
– Justify our choices to reduce cognitive dissonance
By increasing the attractiveness of our choice
Decreasing the attractiveness of the rejected alternatievs
Justifying Choices
Tyranny of choice
– Some choice is better than none
– Too many choices are not always better than less choices
– Information overload
• Justifying Choices-Two types of people
Maximizers
vs.
• Best possible choice
• Never stop looking
• Never happy with decision
• Less life satisfaction
• Less optimistic
Satisficers
• Good enough choice
• Stop looking
• Happier
• More life satisfaction
• More optimistic
• Advances in Dissonance Theory
Is dissonance an arousal state?
• Studies indicate Yes!
• Feel uncomfortable
People have strong desire to be seen as consistent to others
• Don’t want to be labeled hypocrites
• Don’t want to be socially rejected
• Attitude-Behavior Inconsistency
A-B Problem
• Problem of inconsistency between attitudes (A) and behaviors (B)
Defending Attitudes
• Predictions of behavior based on attitudes is best when
1. Measures of attitude are very specific
2. Behaviors are aggregated over time and situations
3. Attitudes come to mind easily
• 1. Specific Attitudes
When attitudes specific to the behavior are examined, we are better able to
predict behavior
• General attitudes (“I like old people”) are poor predictors of
specific behaviors (“Will I help my elderly neighbor carry his
groceries today?”)
• 2. Aggregated (summed) Attitudes
When we can view attitudes and subsequent behavior over time, we can better
predict future behavior
• 3. Attitudes comes easy to mind..
When attitudes are strong and come easily to mind, they are more likely to
predict behavior
Behavior Does Influence Attitude!
Doing a favor for someone usually increases your liking for that individual
(Blanchard & Cook, 1976)
– “I must like him or I wouldn’t have done that favor for him”
Beliefs and Believing
• Consistency is important for beliefs also!!
• Believing is automatic
Understanding requires controlled, conscious thought
• Duplex mind
Automatic system
Uncritical and accepting (facts, opinions)
Conscious system
Can override and change belief to disbelief
Belief Perseverance
• Once beliefs form it is resist to change
Despite bogus evidence, continue to believe
Beliefs and Coping
• Coping
• How people attempt to deal with traumas and go back to functioning
effectively in life
• Assumptive Worlds-beliefs about reality
• The world is benevolent
• The world is fair and just
• I am a good person
• Tend to make downward comparisons if these assumptions are
shattered- It could have been worse