2.4.1. Selective exposure
Festinger claimes that people avoid information that is likely to increase dissonance. Not only do individuals tend to select reading material and television programs that are consistent with their existing beliefs, they usually choose to be with people who are like them. By taking care to ‘‘stick with their own kind," they can maintain the relative comfort of the status quo.
2.4.2. Need for reassurance
According to Festinger, close-call decisions can generate huge amounts of internal tension after the decision has been made. Three conditions heighten postdecision dissonance:
(1) the importance of the issue, (2) the amount of time an individual delays in choosing, and (3) the difficulty involved in reversing the decision once it’s been made. If these conditions are extreme, then the more the person will agonize greatly over whether he or she has made the right choice. Sometimes referred to as ‘‘morning-after" doubts, the misgivings or second thoughts that follow a tough choice motivate individuals to seek reassuring information and social support for their decision.
A classic example of postdecision dissonance is the mental turmoil a person experiences after signing a contract to buy a new car. The cost is high, there are many attractive models from which to choose, and the down payment commits the customer to go through with the purchase. It’s not unusual to find a customer in the library poring over the pages of the Consumer Reports auto issue after placing an order. The buyer is seeking information that will quiet nagging doubts.
2.4.3. Minimal justification for action induces a shift in attitude
Persuasion researchers have long distinguished between public compliance and private acceptance. Thus if one wanted to obtain private change in addition to mere public compliance, the best way to do this would be to offer just enough reward or punishment to elicit overt compliance.