Continuities in Theories of Status Consistency and Cognitive Dissonance

This paper attempts to place an explanation of the consequences of status inconsistency within the framework of dissonance theory. It integrates the Theory of Social Certitude, the Principle of Expectancy Congruence, and the Theory of Distributive Justice into the Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. The combined theory is evaluated in terms of its utility in explaining the empirical consequences of status inconsistency. A series of predictions are made regarding particular behavioral responses to specific inconsistency profiles.