The psychological principle that people have a strong drive to appear and be consistent with their previous commitments, statements, and actions. Once individuals take a position or make a commitment, they experience internal pressure to behave in ways that align with that commitment.
This principle combines 'commitment' from Latin 'committere' (to join together) and 'consistency' from Latin 'consistere' (to stand firm). The psychological concept was developed through research on cognitive dissonance and self-perception theory in the mid-20th century.
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