Maybe we care not just about believing that we’re “nice and in control,” but about others believing it, but that isn’t Aronson’s theory (as summarized by Pinker). Also, that wasn’t Festinger’s interpretation of the need for publicity, which was a change from before doomsday.
Um, have you read Pinker? I may have cut out too much in my quote. Pinker is pretty clear that our reason for being biased towards thinking we’re “nice and in control” is (from an evolutionary perspective, at least) so that we can better convince others of that.
But fair point about Festinger and the need for publicity.
Maybe we care not just about believing that we’re “nice and in control,” but about others believing it, but that isn’t Aronson’s theory (as summarized by Pinker). Also, that wasn’t Festinger’s interpretation of the need for publicity, which was a change from before doomsday.
Um, have you read Pinker? I may have cut out too much in my quote. Pinker is pretty clear that our reason for being biased towards thinking we’re “nice and in control” is (from an evolutionary perspective, at least) so that we can better convince others of that.
But fair point about Festinger and the need for publicity.