As Persuasion
Fear appeals are often used in marketing and social policy, as a method of persuasion. Fear is an effective tool to change attitudes, which are moderated by the motivation and ability to process the fear message. Examples of fear appeal include reference to social exclusion, and getting laid-off from one's job, getting cancer from smoking or involvement in car accidents and driving.
Fear appeals are nonmonotonic, meaning that the level of persuasion does not increase in proportion to the amount of fear that is used. A study of public service messages on AIDS found that if the messages were too aggressive or fearful, they were rejected by the subject; a moderate amount of fear is the most effective attitude changer.
Others argue that it is not the level of fear that is decisive changing attitudes via the persuasion process. Rather, as long as a scare-tactics message includes a recommendation to cope with the fear, it can work.
Read more about this topic: Appeal To Fear
Famous quotes containing the word persuasion:
“[The Federalist Party are m]ore partial to the opulent than to the other classes of society; and [have] debauched themselves into a persuasion that mankind are incapable of governing themselves.”
—James Madison (1751–1836)
“To be inspired is to be moved in an extraordinary manner by the power or Spirit of God to act, speak, or think what is holy, just and true; [Enthusiasm is] A Full, but false persuasion in a man that he is inspired.”
—Henry More (1614–1687)