I do think your hypothesis is plausible, but the reasoning it describes seems too complex. One would think like that only if one cares about being consistent and reflects on that, and only after one has decided that the "I've done my part of the job" excuse is not enough... and it seems improbable that most people think like that.

The enormous line of research on cognitive dissonance--see the forced compliance paradigm in particular--indicates the importance of consistency, even when it isn't consciously recognized as such.