consistency principle

con·sis·ten·cy prin·ci·ple

in psychology, the desire of the human being to be consistent, especially in attitudes and beliefs; theories of attitude formation and change based on the consistency principle include balance theory, which suggests that one seeks to avoid incongruity in one's various attitudes.
See also: cognitive dissonance theory.

con·sis·ten·cy prin·ci·ple

(kŏn-sis'tĕn-sē prin'si-pĕl) psychology The desire of human beings to be consistent, especially in their attitudes and beliefs; theories of attitude formation and change based on the consistency principle include balance theory, which suggests that people seek to avoid incongruity in their various attitudes.