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Balance theory
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{{Short description|Theory of attitude change}} In the [[psychology]] of [[motivation]], '''balance theory''' is a theory of [[attitude change]], proposed by [[Fritz Heider]].<ref>{{cite journal | last=Heider | first=Fritz | authorlink = Fritz Heider | title=Attitudes and Cognitive Organization | journal=The Journal of Psychology |volume=21 |year=1946 |pages=107β112|doi=10.1080/00223980.1946.9917275|pmid=21010780}}</ref><ref>Heider, Fritz (1958). ''The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations''. John Wiley & Sons.</ref> It conceptualizes the [[cognitive consistency]] motive as a drive toward psychological balance. The consistency motive is the urge to maintain one's values and beliefs over time. Heider proposed that "sentiment" or liking relationships are balanced if the [[affect (psychology)|affect]] [[valence (psychology)|valence]] in a system multiplies out to a positive result. Research in 2020 provided [[neuroscientific]] evidence supporting Heider's balance theory. A study using neuroimaging techniques found distinct differences in brain activation when individuals were exposed to unbalanced versus balanced triads. These differences were observed in brain regions associated with processing [[cognitive dissonance]], offering biological support for Heider's original psychological explanation of balance theory in social context.<ref name="Chiang2020">{{Cite journal |last1=Chiang |first1=Y. S. |last2=Chen |first2=Y. W. |last3=Chuang |first3=W. C. |last4=Wu |first4=C. I. |last5=Wu |first5=C. T. |date=2020 |title=Triadic balance in the brain: Seeking brain evidence for Heider's structural balance theory |journal=[[Social Networks]] |volume=63 |pages=80β90 |doi=10.1016/j.socnet.2020.05.003}}</ref> '''Structural balance theory''' in [[social network analysis]] is the extension proposed by [[Dorwin Cartwright]] and [[Frank Harary]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cartwright |first1=D. |first2=Frank |last2=Harary |year=1956 |title=Structural balance: a generalization of Heider's theory |journal=[[Psychological Review]] |volume=63 |issue=5 |pages=277β293 |doi=10.1037/h0046049 |pmid=13359597 |url=https://snap.stanford.edu/class/cs224w-readings/cartwright56balance.pdf |access-date=2020-12-04 |archive-date=2020-12-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201082445/http://snap.stanford.edu/class/cs224w-readings/cartwright56balance.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> It was the framework for the discussion at a [[Dartmouth College]] symposium in September 1975.<ref>[[Paul W. Holland]] & Samuel Leinhardt (editors) (1979) ''Perspectives on Social Network Research'', [[Academic Press]] {{ISBN|9780123525505}}</ref>
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