Lecture 7 - Narrative Persuasion and Self-Persuasion

Question 1

Narrative persuasion and self persuasion are both which type of strategies?

Answer 1

Omega strategies

Question 2

The following is the power of what?

Indirectly motivating people to persuade themselves to change their attitudes or behavior
They need to believe that the motivation for change comes from within
So, let them generate arguments themselves
Long-lasting effects

Answer 2

Power of self persuasion

Question 3

If the following happens, what should you do?

When a direct persuasion attempt is likely to fail
Because important attitudes, habitual behavior or difficult lifestyle changes are concerned
And/or people don’t see the need to change, are not intrinsically motivated (e.g., meat eaters)
When the target group does not need any convincing of importance of behavior, but just doesn’t act upon it
Confront people with their own hypocrisy (evoke cognitive dissonance)

Answer 3

When you should use self persuasion

Question 4

If directs attempts at persuasion are likely to fail, what can you do?

Answer 4

Make people generate their own arguments why attitudinal/behavioral change is necessary
Own-generated arguments are more persuasive than other-generated arguments
And could evoke cognitive dissonance among people already convinced that their behavior is ‘bad’

Question 5

How to trigger self-generation of arguments in a (mass media) campaign message?

Answer 5

1. Use open-ended questions

2. Via character identification (watch other people do it)

Question 6

Being ‘transported’ into the storyline of a movie, book, game, series (all mental systems and capacities become focused on events occurring in the narrative, rather than one’s immediate environment) is known as what?

Answer 6

Narrative involvement

Question 7

If you experience the emotions, behavior and thoughts, you become the character. This is known as what?

Answer 7

Identification

Question 8

If you admire from a distance, you don’t become the character. This is known as what?

Answer 8

Wishful identification

Question 9

If you see similarities between you and the character, can be physical or demographic, or beliefs or values. This is known as what?

Answer 9

Perceived similarity

Question 10

If you see characters as if they are our friends, perceived friendship with a character, this is known as what?

Answer 10

PSI - Parasocial interaction

Question 11

Why is narrative persuasion useful?

Answer 11

May help to overcome various forms of resistance to persuasion
Entertainment education (EE)
Is also used in non-entertaining content

Question 12

When should you use narrative persuasion?

Answer 12

To neutralize avoidance
- Sender and persuasive intent are disguised

To neutralize contesting
- Source derogation and counter-arguing are inhibited

To neutralize empowering
- Involvement with characters can: Evoke vicarious self-persuasion, Increase perceived vulnerability and self-efficacy, Change social norms and outcome expectations

Question 13

To use narrative persuasion, when your norma attempts at persuasion are likely to fail, you can do what?

Answer 13

‘Hide’ your message in a narrative with characters your target group strongly identifies with