Name of a cognitive bias?

[Katya]

I've heard of a phenomenon where, the more you sacrifice for an organization or an idea, the more loyal you are to that organization or idea. So, instead of occasionally reevaluating whether or not the sacrifices you're making are a good idea, you just double down and defend the organization even more. I'd like to read more about this phenomenon so I can be sure I'm getting the theory right, but I can't remember the name of it. Does it ring any bells for anyone?

[Marduk]

This sounds like the sunk cost fallacy.

[Katya]

This sounds like the sunk cost fallacy.

Maybe. But I've heard that applied more to business-type models, and this one was presented (as I remember it) as being more ideological in nature. But maybe it's just an extension of that.

[vorpal blade]

I have found that some people think that if we serve someone--do nice things for them--they will love us. Actually the correct principle seems to be that when we serve someone, or some cause, we grow to love that person or cause. The more we give to something the more we love it. By sacrificing for someone we grow in love for them.

This might be the same principle as you are asking about, but said differently. It isn't exactly loyalty, but loyalty often flows from love. The more you sacrifice for your child or spouse (or friend), the more you love them, and the more you love them the more you want to sacrifice for them.

So, can we say that the name of the cognitive bias is "love?"

[Portia]

I immediately thought of this research done at BYU that those who believe in an organization's mission are more likely to advance. This could be self-defensive or self-preserving behavior.

[Portia]

You may also be interested in "Why employees do bad things for companies they love," linked from the previous article.

[NerdGirl]

I know what you're talking about, and I swear there's a name for it that I've heard. Possibly a Latin one. Maybe it will come to me.

[UffishThought]

I watched an episode of Community today where that came into play. (Annie defending the Dean as a genius because she was unwilling to admit she'd been helping his commercial-making madness.) They labeled it stockholm syndrome, which isn't quite what you're looking for, either.

[wryness]

I feel like the word "investment" might be part of the term... it seems more scientific-y than the word "sacrifice" (to sound scientific-y).

[S.A.M.]

This sounds like the sunk cost fallacy.

Maybe. But I've heard that applied more to business-type models, and this one was presented (as I remember it) as being more ideological in nature. But maybe it's just an extension of that.

Maybe you've heard it referred to as the "Concorde Fallacy"?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimblasinga ... e-fallacy/
Evolutionary biologists coined the term, “Concorde Fallacy,” as a metaphor for when animals or humans defend an investment – a policy, business, or nest – when that defense costs more than abandonment and an alternative.

http://youarenotsosmart.com/2011/03/25/ ... t-fallacy/
The sunk cost fallacy is sometimes called the Concorde fallacy when describing it as an escalation of commitment. It is a reference to the construction of the first commercial supersonic airliner. The project was predicted to be a failure early on; but everyone involved kept going. Their shared investment built a hefty psychological burden which outweighed their better judgments. After losing an incredible amount of money, effort and time, they didn’t want to just give up.

[Katya]

This sounds like the sunk cost fallacy.

Maybe. But I've heard that applied more to business-type models, and this one was presented (as I remember it) as being more ideological in nature. But maybe it's just an extension of that.

Maybe you've heard it referred to as the "Concorde Fallacy"?

That doesn't ring a bell, either (although it's clearly a related concept).

Maybe I just need to set aside some time to work my way through this entire list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases

[Katya]

I feel like the word "investment" might be part of the term... it seems more scientific-y than the word "sacrifice" (to sound scientific-y).

Actually, maybe I'm thinking of escalation of commitment (a.k.a. irrational escalation or commitment bias).

[vorpal blade]

I know what you're talking about, and I swear there's a name for it that I've heard. Possibly a Latin one. Maybe it will come to me.

Good point, NerdGirl. If you give it a Latin name it will sound more scientific and credible. I'm calling the principle I was talking about the amor cognitive bias.

Here is an article that refers to it. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/ ... e?lang=eng

"He knows that nurturing love is healing; it is teaching. It requires sacrifice, and that which we love will be that to which we give our allegiance."

"We, too, must choose carefully the areas in which we serve, because where we serve, there will be our love."

"As we mature and serve and sacrifice for other interests, new loves develop. A farmer grows to love his land; a scholar his books; a businessman his company. We have all witnessed the love of parents for their children, the love of a bishop for members of his ward, the love of a young man for his new car, the love an engaged young lady has for a ring just received from someone very special."

"Love of the sensual, drugs, and lies grows as we serve in these appealing areas offered by Satan. Love bonds become strong and intense in proportion to our continuing service."

"Day-to-day acts of service, whether for good or evil, may not seem important, but they are building cords of love that become so strong they can seldom be broken."

"The purchase of a larger house or a nicer car or a more expensive boat may cause us to sacrifice our resources and develop an unwise love for these symbols of success and pleasure. We learn to love that which we serve, and we serve that which we love."

"How can we help a new convert to learn to love the gospel? By finding ways for him to serve and sacrifice. We must constantly emphasize the truth that we love that to which we give time, whether it be the gospel, God, or gold."

"Again I conclude, what we serve we learn to love, and what we love takes our time, and what takes our time is what we love."

[vorpal blade]

As a corollary to the phenomenon Katya mentions I've noticed that sometimes there is a turning point. After the turning point you attack the organization and are supercritical of everything it does. You become completely disloyal and you mercilessly mock the sacrifices made by those still loyal to the organization. I’m thinking about some apostates. This also holds true for some divorces, where the person never has a kind word to say about their ex-spouse.

[NerdGirl]

It might have been escalation of commitment, actually. And I'm pretty sure the context in which I was reading about it was pyramid schemes and why people stay involved in them (people aside from the criminals who start them in the first place) even after losing a lot of money or being confronted with the fact that they are involved in something illegal, so that might be something to look at if you're interested in reading more.

[Katya]

It might have been escalation of commitment, actually. And I'm pretty sure the context in which I was reading about it was pyramid schemes and why people stay involved in them (people aside from the criminals who start them in the first place) even after losing a lot of money or being confronted with the fact that they are involved in something illegal, so that might be something to look at if you're interested in reading more.

Wonderful. Thanks!

[Whistler]

I've heard the term "emotional investment," and I've definitely run experienced it when playing computer games that take many hours to complete. Since you've invested so much time into it, you conclude that you must have really liked it (it's possibly the same as sunk costs, only it has less to do with money and more to do with time spent, although that can also be a sunk cost).