Understanding Social Attitudes
Ever wonder why you like certain things or people? Attitudes are beliefs and feelings that influence how we behave toward others. These evaluations develop through our experiences, conditioning, and observations—the more we're exposed to something (the mere exposure effect), the more likely we are to like it!
When our attitudes and behaviors don't match, we experience cognitive dissonance—that uncomfortable mental tension that pushes us to resolve the inconsistency. For example, if you believe lying is wrong but tell a lie anyway, you might feel so uncomfortable that you convince yourself the lie is actually true.
We all use compliance strategies to get others to do what we want. The foot in the door technique involves starting with a small request before asking for something bigger. Alternatively, the door in face approach starts with a large request that will likely be refused, making a smaller follow-up request seem more reasonable.
Try This! Next time you need a favor, experiment with the "foot in the door" technique—start by asking for something small and then work your way up to what you really want.