Fear appeals and self-affirmation

Question 1

What is the motivational phase?
And the volitional phase?

Answer 1

Motivational phase: Setting goals or specifying intentions

Volitional phase: From intentions to behavior

Question 2

What is a fear appeal?

Answer 2

A persuasive (overtuigende) communication that tries to scare people into changing their attitudes by highlighting the negative consequences that will occur if they do not follow the message recommendations.

Question 3

Does a fear appeal fit the motivational or volitional phase?

Answer 3

The motivational phase

–> it focuses on the motivation and intention of an individual to make healthy choices

Question 4

Which 2 elements does a fear appeal include?

Answer 4

1. Fear induction
   A threatening element
2. Recommendation
   Neutralize threat; Providing information or recommendations that reduce or eliminate the negative consequences or risks of a certain behavior

Question 5

What are the two parallel responses to a fear appeal according to the Parallel Response Model?

Answer 5

Fear control: individuals focus on managing their fear through emotion-focused coping strategies, often leading to maladaptive behaviors that do not address the actual threat

Danger control: Individuals evaluate the severity of the threat and the effectiveness of recommended actions, prompting adaptive behavior changes aimed at reducing the risk

Question 6

What are the two key processes of the Protection Motivation Theory?

Answer 6

1. Threat appraisal
   People evaluate their vulnerability, the severity and the rewards of the maladaptive behavior (e.g. ‘smoking makes me feel relaxed’)
2. Coping appraisal
   People evaluate their response-efficacy, self-efficacy and the costs of the maladaptive behavior (e.g. ‘if I don’t smoke, I miss out on social moments’)

Question 7

What is perceived threat?

Answer 7

perceived susceptibility + perceived severity

(an individual’s belief about the likelihood + seriousness of a potential harm)

Question 8

What is perceived efficacy?

Answer 8

self-efficacy + response efficacy

(an individual’s belief about the ability to perfom behavior + belief about behavior will reduce threat)

Question 9

Give an example of the defensive response ‘consider information inaccurate’

Answer 9

“That study about alcohol causing liver damage is probably outdated or just poorly done. They keep changing their minds about what’s good or bad for you.”

Question 10

What does a threat without a good recommendation lead to?

Answer 10

Defensive responses

Question 11

Give an example of the defensive response ‘sensitivity to counterinformation’

Answer 11

“But I once read that having one glass of red wine each day, is good for you”

Question 12

Give an example of the defensive response ‘estimate low personal risk

Answer 12

“I don’t drink that much anyway. I’m not like those heavy drinkers who get liver problems—I’m in control.”

Question 13

Give an example of the defensive response ‘spending less time on the information’

Answer 13

“Yeah, I know drinking can be bad, but I don’t really have time to think about that right now. I’ve got more important things going on.”

Question 14

Give an example of the defensive response ‘suppressing threat-related thoughts’

Answer 14

“I’m not even going to think about the risks. It’s not like I drink every day. It’s just for fun, so why stress about it?”

Question 15

Give an example of the defensive response ‘making up excuses for the behavior’

Answer 15

“I’ve had a tough week, and I deserve to unwind a little. Plus, everyone drinks when they’re stressed—it’s totally normal.”

Question 16

Give an example of the defensive response ‘increased commitment to the risk behavior’

Answer 16

“Honestly, I don’t care about those studies. Drinking helps me relax, and I’m going to keep doing it because it’s part of who I am and how I unwind.”

Question 17

What is the health promotion technique of self-affirmation?

Answer 17

Reducing the impact of a threat to the self by focusing on competence or values in another domain (it strengthens your self-control)

Self-affirmation theory posits that if people positively reflect on values, they feel better about themselves

e.g. reflect on past acts of kindness or select your most important value and write about it

Question 18

What are the underlying processes of self-affirmation?

Answer 18

Self-affirmations can strengthen self-control by shifting focus from immediate impulses to higher values

Reminding people of ‘what’s really important’ buffers against relatively small, everyday stressors

Question 19

When do self-affirmations work?

Answer 19

When
- the affirmation is central to the self
- the domain is unrelated to the threat
- there’s no awareness

Question 20

When do fear appeals work?

Answer 20

When
- the threat isn’t too severe
- there’s a good recommendation
- it’s relevant