On inferring one's beliefs from one's attempt and consequences for subsequent compliance.
D. J. Bem (1967, 1972) has suggested that a person may infer his or her beliefs from his or her actions. With his information-processing viewpoint, D. J. Bem proposed that individuals, by observing their past behaviors, may draw information for assessing their beliefs about themselves. There is a question, however, about the mechanism of self-perception when there is inconsistency between one's attempt to realize an intended goal and the outcome of the action. In a series of field studies, participants who had unsuccessfully tried to help a stranger were more willing to comply with a relatively large request made later. Implications for self-perception theory as well as for enhancing susceptibility to influence techniques are discussed.
Dolinski
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Department of Psychology, University of Opole, Poland. darek@uni.opole.pl
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006379:Helping Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D012056:Reinforcement, Social; D012649:Self Concept; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012919:Social Behavior; D012932:Social Facilitation; D012945:Social Values