T
The Daily Insight

Who gave balance theory

Author

Andrew Campbell

Published Mar 26, 2026

Balance theory is a sociological construct originated by Fritz Heider that explores relative valence of a range of positive to negative psychosocial relationships among individuals and networks of many such relationships.

When was the balance theory invented?

The theory was developed by the Austrian-born US psychologist Fritz Heider (1896–1988), first published in an article in 1946, and later presented in his book The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations in 1958, and the US psychologist Theodore M(ead) Newcomb (1903–84) contributed to its development in 1953.

What is Newcomb's balance theory?

The Newcomb and Osgood Theory: Newcomb took Heider’s idea of balance out of the head of one person and applied it to communication between people. He uses the term symmetry to distinguish it from balance theory and contends that we attempt to influence one another to bring about symmetry (or balance or equilibrium).

What is the balance theory based on?

Heider’s Balance Theory, developed by the social psychologist Fritz Heider, is based on the balance that must exist between interpersonal relationships, or for something specific between two people or more so that a harmony exists between thoughts, emotions and social relationships so that the ideas shared by both …

What is another name for balance theory?

The original formulation of balance theory was designed to describe the pattern of relations between three individuals. Such relation patterns between three objects or individuals are often referred to as “triadic” relations.

Who created cognitive dissonance theory?

The theory of cognitive dissonance was molded by Leon Festinger at the beginning of the 1950s. It suggests that inconsistencies among cognitions (i.e., knowledge, opinion, or belief about the environment, oneself, or one’s behavior) generate an uncomfortable motivating feeling (i.e., the cognitive dissonance state).

Who gave the theory of cognitive dissonance?

Leon Festinger first proposed the theory of cognitive dissonance centered on how people try to reach internal consistency. 3 He suggested that people have an inner need to ensure that their beliefs and behaviors are consistent.

Which theory is also called as structural balance theory?

Structural (or social) balance theory was first formulated by Heider (15) in order to understand the structure and origin of tensions and conflicts in a network of individuals whose mutual relationships are characterizable in terms of friendship and hostility. … Balanced and unbalanced graphs.

What is balance theory in persuasion?

Balance theory states that when tensions arise between or inside people, they attempt to reduce these tensions through self-persuasion or trying to persuade others. Theorist:Fritz Heider and Theodore Newcomb. Date: 1946.

What is cognitive balance theory?

Cognitive balance theory was devised by Heider (1946, 1958) to explain how people resolve inconsistencies in their interpersonal affects. As predicted, participants accepted the communication that achieved balance in one cognition change over those that required more cognition changes. …

Article first time published on

What is propinquity theory?

The term propinquity means nearness. The theory states that individuals affiliate with one another because of spatial or geographical proximity. … This theory appears to explain the group formation process based in nearness.

What is Pox in psychology?

Lesson Summary He used what is called a P-O-X triangle, in which P is the person, O is the other, and X is the third party, to examine relationships. Each corner of the triangle represents a different element: P, O, or X. P is the person, O is the other, and X is the third element.

What is Festinger theory of cognitive dissonance?

Festinger’s theory proposes that inconsistency among beliefs or behaviours causes an uncomfortable psychological tension (i.e., cognitive dissonance), leading people to change one of the inconsistent elements to reduce the dissonance or to add consonant elements to restore consonance.

What is the basic theory of cognitive dissonance?

Cognitive dissonance theory postulates that an underlying psychological tension is created when an individual’s behavior is inconsistent with his or her thoughts and beliefs. This underlying tension then motivates an individual to make an attitude change that would produce consistency between thoughts and behaviors.

What is drive reduction theory?

A theory of motivation developed by Clark L. Hull, the Drive-Reduction Theory focuses on how motivation originates from biological needs or drives. In this theory, Hull proposed a person’s behaviour is an external display of his desire to satisfy his physical deficiencies.

What is Festinger's social comparison theory?

Social comparison theory was first proposed in 1954 by psychologist Leon Festinger and suggested that people have an innate drive to evaluate themselves, often in comparison to others. … As she evaluates her skills and progress, she will compare her performance to other students in the class.

What does Cooper's New Look model of cognitive dissonance argue?

The new look model of dissonance was first introduced by Cooper and Fazio (1984). They argue that what cause the dissonance are the aversive consequences one feels personally responsible for – and not inconsistency, as the original theory of dissonance claimed.

When was social Judgement theory created?

Along with Carolyn W. Sherif and Carl I. Hovland, Sherif created the theory in 1961 as a means to understand the process by which communicators categorize and develop attitudes toward information.

What did Schachter mean when he said that misery loves miserable company?

(3/4) What did Schachter mean when he said that “misery loves miserable company”? … Distressful events create arousal, and under the correct situational conditions this arousal is experienced as love.

What is the difference between propinquity and proximity?

Proximity is sitting close to someone on the train, or being related biologically. It’s random. Propinquity, the way he defined it, has an element of choice to it — it is finding yourself proximal to someone again and again, because of your habits and the places you are drawn to.

What is the example of propinquity?

Nearness of relationship; kinship. The definition of propinquity is nearness in place or time, or similarity of nature. An example of propinquity is the nearness of a slaughterhouse to a hotel, making it difficult to rent rooms. An example of propinquity is the shared mannerisms of two sisters.

What is group balance theory?

Fritz Heider originated Balance Theory to show how people develop their relationships with other people and with things in their environment. Balance Theory says that if people see a set of cognitive elements as being a system, then they will have a preference to maintain a balanced state among these elements.

What is consistency theory?

a class of social psychological theory holding that people are chiefly motivated by a desire to maintain congruence or consistency among their cognitions.

What did Leon Festinger study?

Festinger graduated with a B.A. in psychology from the City College of New York in 1939. He then entered the University of Iowa, where he studied with the German-born social psychologist Kurt Lewin and obtained a Ph. D. in 1942.

How did Leon Festinger discover cognitive dissonance?

Cognitive dissonance was first investigated by Leon Festinger, arising out of a participant observation study of a cult which believed that the earth was going to be destroyed by a flood, and what happened to its members — particularly the really committed ones who had given up their homes and jobs to work for the cult …

What was the aim of the Festinger study?

The Study. Festinger (1956) wanted to see how members of a cult would cope and react when they realised that the apocalypse was not coming. The first goal of the observations was to see how much each member pf the cult believed in the incoming apocalypse.

What is an example of dissonance?

A baby crying, a person screaming and an alarm going off are all common examples of dissonance. These sounds are annoying, disruptive or put a listener on edge. Another useful reference is music, where dissonance is also a key concept.

Which is the best example of cognitive dissonance?

Cognitive Dissonance Simplified For example, you love the environment, but you still use plastic garbage bags. That feeling of mental discomfort about using plastic bags is an example of cognitive dissonance. This is because your beliefs are clashing with your actions or behavior.

What is the opposite of cognitive dissonance?

So, the opposite of cognitive dissonance is “inner harmony,” “cognitive coherence,” or “cognitive consonance.”