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Learning Objectives
After reading the chapter, you should be able to: 1. Understand the role of motivational appeals in persuasion 2. Identify particular emotions and how persuaders use them 3. Describe Maslows hierarchy of needs and how they apply to persuasion 4. Define values and ways persuaders use values to persuade audience members
Key Terms
Motivational appeal
Emotions Value
Instrumental values
Terminal values
Motivational Appeals
Persuaders know our feelings influence decisions
and create message to maximize this appeal Pathos Aristotles name for this type of persuasive strategy Motivational appeals the variety of affective concepts, including psychological needs and values as well as emotion, that is studied today
decision making, we make faulty decisions The most effective and valid persuasion uses credibility, logic, and motivational appeals
1. Motivational appeals motivate us to act on the
we may draw faulty conclusions Emotions allow individuals to make qualitative judgments about moral decisions At times feelings have adverse effect on decision making e.g., prejudice, racism, dogmatism
Emotion
One school of thought says emotions are comprised
of two elements
1. Physiological arousal a rush or high experienced
when facing something exciting or dangerous or pleasurable 2. Cognitive state how physiological arousal is perceived or described
Defining Emotion
Emotions belief systems or schemas that guide
how we understand our feelings and how we organize our responses to those feelings Averil (1980) argues we also learn to respond to emotions based on our interactions with others in our culture parents, siblings, television characters
Syndrome emotions are a set of learned response
behaviors, not an essence or single underlying force Social role socially prescribed responses to a given situation, learned from others
Defining Emotion
Gerard Hauser (2002) emotions involve our self-
esteem because we learn what our culture thinks are the appropriate emotional responses and behaviors in given situations Emotions affect how we see our world and give it meaning Smith and Hyde (1991) emotions help us see, interpret and become involved with the world in meaningful ways
Defining Emotion
Fear most studied emotion A fear appeal involves three dimensions 1. Describes a threat 2. Indicates that audience members are likely to experience the threat 3. Indicates that one way to avoid the threat is by adopting the message of the persuader
Defining Emotion
Fear research is confusing and contradictory Fear may inhibit persuasion, but additional fear appeals are likely to make the message more persuasive Fear appeals exert a stronger influence on low-anxiety audience members than on high-anxiety audience members Fear has a stronger persuasive appeal on older audiences than on younger audiences
Defining Emotion
Fear Mongeau (1998) reaffirms support for four
Calmnes s
Fear
Distress at apparent Nothing says style and success like success on the part of ones a Lincoln Navigator. peers
Needs
Abraham Maslows (1943) theory of needs:
temperature extremes, and criminals Love needs love, affection, and belongingness Esteem needs stable, firmly based, high evaluation of ourselves, from ourselves and others Self-actualization realize our potential
Needs
If lower-level needs are not met, higher-level needs
become nonexistent or are pushed into the background Love not only seek to receive love and attention, but also to show it to others Esteem receiving esteem from others provides sense of self-confidence, worth, strength, capability, and adequacy Persuaders try to disrupt our sense of self-esteem Advertisers promote self-actualization through consumption of consumer goods
Values
Value a criterion or standard of preference that
guides our actions, develops attitudes toward objects, and allows moral judgment of ourselves and others (Robin Williams, 1979) Values are learned Values developed through experiences with others
Values
Cultural values Maintained through hegemony and patriarchy Transformed by variety of forces
Individual values Parents, siblings, and peers along with institutions influence our values Media creates ideas about what is important/not important
Values
Rokeach (1968) identifies two types of individual
values
1. Instrumental values means by which we live 2. Terminal values goals for our lives
individuals different value orientations Persuaders use value appeals to achieve identification Values also serve to anchor our perceptions, filtering persuasion through an individuals value hierarchy
Salvation Self-respect
Social recognition True friendship Wisdom
Clean Courageous
Forgiving Helpful Honest
Loving Obedient
Polite Responsible Self-controlled
an audience that will result in some kind of socially constructed response from the audience Motivational appeals are linked to the experience of time; appeal to future or past emotion Time plays a crucial role in developing the audiences emotional state Persuaders use personal relationships to call upon the audiences emotions Emotions are linked to relationship building
Narrative Form
Narratives evoke images of time and place
Narratives bring emotion closer to the audience in
time and space Narratives evoke greater emotional response from the audience
Humor
Humor brings about emotions such as happiness,
contentment, and pride Persuaders can use humor to develop higher-level needs in Maslows hierarchy Puns play on words Satire disparaging comment made in order to bring about changes in person or topic Farce employs exaggerated characters and situations
Visual Communication
Resemblance to reality makes visual communication
capable of creating physiological arousal in an audience Facial expressions communicate a great deal of emotion
Media
Media influence not only physiological component of
emotions, but how we socially construct emotions as well Image size affects viewers state of arousal more life-sized images are perceived as more of a threat to the viewer Moving pictures increase the arousal level of audience members Moving images amplify audience members positive or negative feelings toward the image compared with a still image
expressions of happiness, sadness, anger, and fear Older children can distinguish similar emotional syndrome, i.e., happiness and pride Children learn stereotyped attitudes about others, aggressive behaviors and cooperation from watching television Adults continue to develop socially constructed beliefs about emotions, needs, and values