The human drive to remain aligned with past actions and statements
Core Idea: Commitment and Consistency is a powerful psychological principle where people feel strong internal pressure to remain consistent with their past actions, statements, and commitments, creating predictable behavior patterns that can be leveraged in design.
Key Elements
- People value behavioral consistency as part of identity
- Small initial commitments can lead to larger consistent actions
- Public commitments create stronger consistency pressure than private ones
- Voluntary commitments are more effective than forced ones
Psychological Mechanisms
- Self-herding: Believing something is good based on previous behavior
- Identity alignment: Behaving in ways consistent with self-image
- Cognitive dissonance avoidance: Preventing contradiction between beliefs and actions
- Social expectation: Meeting others' anticipation of consistent behavior
Implementation Techniques
- Written Commitments: Having users document their intentions
- Public Declarations: Creating social accountability through shared commitments
- Foot-in-the-door: Starting with small requests before larger ones
- Active Choice Framing: Using "Will you?" instead of "Please do" to create commitment
Example: Restaurant No-Show Reduction
A restaurant reduced no-shows from 30% to 10% by changing reservation language from "Please call if you have to cancel" to "Will you please call if you have to cancel?" The active commitment created stronger follow-through behavior.
Additional Connections
- Broader Context: Core Drive 4 - Ownership and Possession (commitment creates ownership of promises)
- Applications: Behavior Change Design (using commitment to drive sustained change)
- See Also: Choice Perception (related concept of choice framing)
References
- Yu-Kai Chou, "Actionable Gamification: Beyond Points, Badges, and Leaderboards"
- Robert Cialdini, "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion"
#gamification #psychology #persuasion #consistency
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