Final answer:
Festinger, Heider, and Newcomb considered the desire for consistency as a fundamental psychological principle. They studied how this desire affects our attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors, and developed influential theories such as cognitive dissonance theory and balance theory. Option C.
Step-by-step explanation:
Prominent early theorists like Festinger, Heider, and Newcomb viewed the desire for consistency as a fundamental psychological principle. They believed that this tendency towards consistency is a central feature of human behavior, influencing how we think, feel, and act.
These theorists contributed to our understanding of various psychological phenomena, such as cognitive dissonance, balance theory, and social comparison processes, emphasizing the importance of consistency in our personality traits and behaviors.
Leon Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory suggests that we have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and beliefs in harmony and avoid disharmony or dissonance. Fritz Heider's balance theory is based on the consistency principle where people desire balanced states in their relationships and beliefs.
Theodore Newcomb's work also centered around consistency, particularly in the context of communication and attitude change in social groups. So option C.