___theory of attitude explains that how people maintain consistency in their attitudes?

The theory that explains how people maintain consistency in their attitudes is called the Cognitive Dissonance Theory. This theory was proposed by Leon Festinger in 1957.

Here are the steps explaining the theory:

1. Cognitive Dissonance Theory suggests that we have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and beliefs in harmony and avoid disharmony (or dissonance).

2. This is known as the principle of cognitive consistency. When there is an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors (dissonance), something must change to eliminate the dissonance.

3. In the case of a discrepancy between attitudes and behavior, it is most likely that the attitude will change to accommodate the behavior.

4. Two factors affect the strength of the dissonance: the number of dissonant beliefs, and the importance attached to each belief.

5. There are three ways to eliminate dissonance: reduce the importance of the dissonant beliefs, add more consonant beliefs that outweigh the dissonant beliefs, or change the dissonant beliefs so that they are no longer inconsistent.

6. Dissonance theory applies to all situations involving attitude formation and change. It is especially relevant to decision-making and problem-solving.