Engagement and persuasion by fear: towards engaging communication in the health sector

Evidence from psychological research has shown the importance of fear on attitude and/or behavior change. The experiment hereby quoted tests the influence of commitment (high vs. low) on an attempt of persuasive message for a forthcoming effect, that is, after reading an antialcohol message to subjects. The idea consists in inducing alcohol consumers toward modifying their attitude and behavioral intentions toward alcohol. As expected, the high committed drinkers (i.e., regular drinkers) resist persuasion (on the level of both attitude and intention). The low committed drinkers (i.e., occasional drinkers) do not resist persuasion but adopt further on a more favorable attitude toward alcohol. The drinkers who had read a strongly threatening, yet at the same time strongly reassuring, message express the strongest intention to reduce their alcohol consumption. Results are described with reference to Witte's (1998) extended parallel process model. A new perspective is presented at the end of our paper, that is, toward a "committing communication."