Have you ever been in a discussion offering different views of something (politics?!), and at a point in the chat the truth suddenly becomes obvious? Maybe even painfully obvious? And yet, in that very same moment, the person you are talking to does something completely unexpected, and maybe even astonishing —- he/she remains firm in their position, and maybe even more committed to the non-factual or wrong position! Logically, you would expect that when verifiable, demonstrable evidence is provided the other person would accept the new knowledge, but often something quite different occurs: the person actually doubles-down on the wrong information. Fortunately, the field of psychology provides us a better understanding of why this phenomenon occurs by means of the theory of commitment and behavioral consistency.
Understanding why people double-down
Commitment and consistency refers to people’s tendency to behave in a manner that matches their past decisions or behaviors. Notice, the definition is quite simple and does not take into account logic, critical thinking, or evidence supporting a search for truth, but instead illustrates a strong desire to not vacillate from one’s original position for any reason. In some cases the decision to not change views may actually be anchored to not believing the new information, but in most cases the reason why a person remains committed to a false position is even more basic than that: to simply remain consistent with the position previously stated.
One reason why people stay true to their original position — even in the face of factually different information — is because they think that by changing positions they will look silly, dumb, or simply not a person up with the times. This potential “exposure” can be very worrisome, so much so that some people will go to extraordinary lengths holding onto a position that is clearly wrong. And still, they do not waver.
As you might imagine, it can be very frustrating for those around the person unconditionally committed to their original position, especially as it becomes apparent that no evidence in the world will change their view. Unlike other life situations where new evidence leads to new thinking, in the case of commitment and consistency you have hit a brick wall, unable to be broken or permeated…..it all just stops.
The problem with commitment and consistency
If the goal is to find truth and use factual information to better understand the world around us, then holding onto what you want to be true (while ignoring/refuting factual information) is not going to lead to optimal outcomes. When problem-solving and looking to acquire the best information possible, it is vital that we tamp down personal biases and instead use valid, reliable information. What doesn’t work so well is ignoring anything and everything contrary to your beliefs while holding onto only what you hope to be true, and this is especially worrisome when considering important life decisions with potentially fatalistic outcomes (i.e. healthcare solutions). Perhaps even scarier is the power of commitment and consistency — quite often people who are bound to a position will not only hold onto their position, but they will often make poor (and sometimes dangerous) behavioral decisions in order to remain consistent and save face from being proven wrong.
Final thoughts
We are all vulnerable to commitment and consistency, and for most of us we have been in situations where it was painfully difficult to admit being wrong and accept more accurate information than what we previously believed. This can be especially tough for issues close to our heart, or regarding topics we were certain we knew about, only to be later shown we missed something. Still, it is important to battle commitment and consistency whenever the urge surfaces, as we do not get second chances in life when it comes to vital decisions, and how we choose could be the difference between life and death in some circumstances.
drstankovich.com
