ABSTRACT
Humans have been concerned about the tendency to resist belief change for a very long time. During the late 1800s and early 1900s there emerged the beginnings of a systematic investigation of resistance. Sigmund Freud conceived of resistance as one of the central problems to be addressed by psychotherapists in the treatment of psychological disorders. In 1927 Charles Spearman published the results of his investigations into resistance in his book entitled The Abilities of Man. The first truly scientific investigation of resistance is to be credited to the behaviorists. During the 1950s another thread of scientific research into the nature of resistance began. A different approach to the phenomenon of resistance was taken by the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget. Starting in the late 1970s, several lines of research began to explore resistance in attitudes. Although there are distinct advantages to preserving our beliefs, the inertia effect poses risks.
