SPOC articles summary
Week 1: What do we talk about?
Article 1: Primary and secondary goals in the production of interpersonal influence messages
(Dillard, Segrin & Harden, 1989)
Individuals attempt to influence others in order to achieve their own ends.
- Compliance-gaining = study that focuses on the scholarly interest in the message
production side of this phenomenon.
This paper suggests that a theory of the production of influence messages might be better
undertaken from the perspective of a goal-planning-action (GPA) sequence.
- Goal of altering the behaviour of another is believed to stimulate planning, which
then guides the actions of the source.
- Goals are taken to be desired future states of affairs.
The goals which sources consider when making an influence attempt:
1. Primary goals = The desire to bring about behavioural change in a target person.
- Influence (primary) goals may vary in strength
The attractiveness (to the source) of the influence goal determines the source’s
desire to bring about the sought-after behavioural change in the target.
2. Secondary goals = objectives of several sorts that derive directly from more general
motivations that are recurrent in a person’s life.
- The authors propose 4 types of secondary goals:
a) Identity goals = objectives related to self-concept.
o Internal standards of behaviour which may or may not overlap with
expectations about how others would or should behave.
b) Interaction goals = concerned with social appropriateness
o Represent the source’s desire to manage his or her impression successfully,
avoid threatening others, and to produce messages which are relevant and
coherent.
c) Resource goals = focused on increasing or maintaining valued assets.
o Relational assets: personal rewards and fulfilment that arise from
participation in a relationship (positive stimulation, emotional support,
attention, etc.)
o Material assets: physical objects such as money for which the source has
some attachment.
o Physical assets: refers to all those aspects of the source’s health which might
be compromised in an interpersonal influence attempt.
Week 1: What do we talk about?
Article 1: Primary and secondary goals in the production of interpersonal influence messages
(Dillard, Segrin & Harden, 1989)
Individuals attempt to influence others in order to achieve their own ends.
- Compliance-gaining = study that focuses on the scholarly interest in the message
production side of this phenomenon.
This paper suggests that a theory of the production of influence messages might be better
undertaken from the perspective of a goal-planning-action (GPA) sequence.
- Goal of altering the behaviour of another is believed to stimulate planning, which
then guides the actions of the source.
- Goals are taken to be desired future states of affairs.
The goals which sources consider when making an influence attempt:
1. Primary goals = The desire to bring about behavioural change in a target person.
- Influence (primary) goals may vary in strength
The attractiveness (to the source) of the influence goal determines the source’s
desire to bring about the sought-after behavioural change in the target.
2. Secondary goals = objectives of several sorts that derive directly from more general
motivations that are recurrent in a person’s life.
- The authors propose 4 types of secondary goals:
a) Identity goals = objectives related to self-concept.
o Internal standards of behaviour which may or may not overlap with
expectations about how others would or should behave.
b) Interaction goals = concerned with social appropriateness
o Represent the source’s desire to manage his or her impression successfully,
avoid threatening others, and to produce messages which are relevant and
coherent.
c) Resource goals = focused on increasing or maintaining valued assets.
o Relational assets: personal rewards and fulfilment that arise from
participation in a relationship (positive stimulation, emotional support,
attention, etc.)
o Material assets: physical objects such as money for which the source has
some attachment.
o Physical assets: refers to all those aspects of the source’s health which might
be compromised in an interpersonal influence attempt.
