Putting the 'Motivation' in Protection Motivation Theory: An Examination of Persuasive Communication via Extrinsic and Intrinsic Means

Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) has been widely adapted to the context of behavioral information security research, but results have not been as consistent as studies in PMT's native disciplines. One construct that may provide greater explanatory power in InfoSec contexts is motivation. One of the key elements of effective applications of PMT is the use of fear appeals, which focus on the danger of an outside threat and may be classified as a more control-oriented (i.e. extrinsic) form of communication. Motivation may provide an interesting counterpoint to prior PMT research by incorporating selfdetermined (i.e. intrinsic) forms of persuasive communication in motivating the end user to perform secure behaviors related to information protection. A research model and experimental design are proposed to capture the differences in end user perceptions due to applications of intrinsic or extrinsic forms of communication. Potential implications for research and practice are discussed.