Introduction and Background Throughout persuasion there are many different tactics, concepts and theories that go to explain how and why persuasion is used. It is used in everyday life whether we know it or not. To me the most interesting chapter within all types of persuasion is that of fear appeal. Fear appeal is a concept that can not only be very effective in persuasion, but also one that has the ability to completely change someone’s opinion. The first conceptual idea of fear appeal was conceived back in 1953 by three people named Hovland, Janis, and Kelley (Larson, 2013, p. 111). However fear appeal was used during the world wars without the actual term having existed yet. They concluded that fear itself could be used in order to increase …show more content…
In a study done by Janis and Feshbach in 1953 the results came up rather intriguing and put more room in the debate on its effectiveness. The study theorized that there was a thing as too much fear, and that at a certain point it can lead to do the opposite of the intended outcome. (Larson, 2013, p. 112) In both this theory and study a very important part to fear appeal is a person’s self-efficacy as well as their response efficacy. The EPPM theory covers this to an extent and gives some explanation but not an answer. And there never will be an answer because of the vast amount of variation in a person’s brain and what fear is to them. The EPPM theory still however goes to show that on average more medium based fear intensities work better in persuasion than do high or low based fear intensities. (Rhodes, …show more content…
Health campaigns are one of these categories in which fear appeal is heavily induced in. Defined by Ecyclopedia.com, a health campaign seeks to “Promote public health and preventing the spread of dangerous health risks“. In today’s society there are more health campaigns than ever before, especially with the invention of the internet. Some of the most common types you see are, anti-tobacco, breast cancer awareness, dental hygiene, and opioid addiction to name a few. When it comes to health campaigns, the use of fear in them goes together like a pool on a hot summer day. Along with this the main goal is to get people to either change their habits, get tested, or get screened for certain diseases and
Summary – It is quite difficult to avoid any persuasive acts while resisting them at the same time. Being prepared with knowledge of how easy it is to be manipulated, controlled, seduced, etc. allows us to open up to the use of rhetoric.
Fear is a powerful emotion. Wikipedia.com describes fear as “an emotion induced by threat perceived by living entities, which causes a change in brain and organ function and ultimately change behavior, such as running away, hiding or freezing from traumatic events.”Most people tend to avoid fearful situations, not realizing that something positive may come out of the event or experience. Victor Villaseñor focuses on the topic of fear in his novel titled Burro Genius. Villaseñor demonstrates to readers how growing up he was extremely fearful of any situation. Victor also tells his readers how he turned his fear into motivation into motivation to keep going and reach his ultimate goal of becoming a published author.
Fear is an everyday emotion that the human race must face, and it can bring out the best and worst of us, but its how we choose to deal with it that truly defines us.
Kerbel, Matthew R. (1993). An Empirical Test of the Role of Persuasion in the Exercise of
Fear motivates many people to act upon matters, right or wrong. This emotion has been important in many events in both works of literature, and in the real world. It has forced military geniuses into retreat, and influenced them to plan another method of attack. Fear can be both a positive and a negative acting force in one’s life, a quality that can motivate one to success as well as to downfall.
The elaboration likelihood model (ELM) of persuasion is a theory of persuasion that focuses on how the audience interprets logic, evidence, reasoning, and other factors of the speaker or speech. Direct and indirect routes are both methods that contribute to the ELM approach. Direct persuasion route requires giving the audience arguments and evidence to make them think about how a product is a necessity to them, such as gas that can make a car go faster, food that can make a person meet his or her weight loss goals, or insurance that can give practical help to someone who needs it. Indirect persuasion is the usage of other tactics that appeal to the audience without them necessarily realizing it. The audience can use their intuition to be drawn in by a speaker’s charm, a catchy jingle, or a picture of a celebrity using the
Fear influences people to make irrational decisions and take extreme measures. Often times, these actions are done to protect one’s reputation. Fear causes people to lie and manipulate to those they care about in order to escape what they are scared of most. Fear of failure has caused higher levels of anxiety, and has made society put blame on each other, rather than owning up to their mistakes. Fear can also cause one to forget one’s true identity and lose one’s values. There are two options that one can take when being faced with a fear: run away from the fear, or go through it and learn a valuable lesson in the end that will make you a stronger person. Fear is a harmful emotion that everyone has to go through in order to succeed.
Persuasion is a process by which the persuader, through communication, gains the approval or support for the topic (Let's Compare Motivate and Persuade, 2013). The arguments to motivate this change in thinking comes through careful use of rhetoric, but one must also be able to define the six principles of persuasion in social psychology: “Reciprocity, Scarcity, Authority, Commitment and Consistency, Consensus, and Liking” (McLean, 2010, p. 521) and be able to recognize them as they are taking place. Then, one must carefully apply these concepts in order to find the means to effectively facilitate persuasion (p. 518).
Fear is an emotion that can control our everyday thoughts and actions. Fear keeps people from
“There is nothing to fear but fear itself” (Roosevelt). “Fear is a chain reaction in the brain that starts with a stressful stimulus and ends with the release of chemicals that cause a racing heart, fast breathing and energized muscles, among other things, also known as the fight-or-flight response” (Layton). Fear affects the brain and can help people or make them in a worse situation than they were in the first place. Fear most motivates/influences people during times of crisis by clouding judgement and becoming a weapon of power.
Wilby, P. (2007, February). Persuasion is a science. New Statesman, 136(4833), 15. Retrieved May 4, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 1223180481).
In closing, Persuasion is a powerful tool, both in trying to persuade others and being
Persuasion is the force exerted to influence behavior that includes a reflected change in attitude. Everyday we are bombarded with messagesfrom people who wish to influence our behavior and attitudes. Persuasion canbe used to accomplish good as well as bad, though, in my paper I willrefrain from making value judgements and only report the factual aspects. I will discuss the two basic routes to persuasion, the elements involved, andways to protect current attitudes and behaviors from change. When trying to persuade someone, there are two different methods from which to choose-the central and peripheral routes. The central route persuades by usingdirect arguments and pertinent information. The peripheral route persuadespeople by association with incidental cues
Gulli, C. (2009, 10 19). Fear Factor. Maclean's, 122(40), p. 100. Retrieved April 30, 2014
The book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini illustrates the implementation of reciprocation, commitment and consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity. The book identifies these six principles as weapons of influence in aiding with persuasion. The following explains and applies each principle.