With the cultists, admitting they were totally wrong would show they weren’t in control (or effective). Finding some way to rationalize their failed prediction and show that they were really right all along preserves their outward picture of themselves as in control and effective.
The link between Aronson line and other people’s opinions is just that we’re trying to sell other people on the belief that “I am nice and in control.”
Hmmm… maybe should edit the post to make that second part clearer.
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.
With the cultists, admitting they were totally wrong would show they weren’t in control (or effective). Finding some way to rationalize their failed prediction and show that they were really right all along preserves their outward picture of themselves as in control and effective.
The link between Aronson line and other people’s opinions is just that we’re trying to sell other people on the belief that “I am nice and in control.”
Hmmm… maybe should edit the post to make that second part clearer.
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.