Summary Resistance & Persuasion
Lecture 1: Introduction
Lecture 2: Psychological reactance & politeness theory
Lecture 3: Persuasion knowledge and ad literacy
Lecture 4: Self-threat and cognitive dissonance
Lecture 5: Alpha and omega strategies for change
Lecture 6: Narrative persuasion and self-persuasion
Lecture 7: Humor and sexual appeals
Lecture 8: Influencer endorsement and native advertising
Lecture 9: Sponsorship disclosures and inoculation
1
,Lecture 1: Introduction
Knowles, E. S., & Linn, J. A. (2004). The importance of resistance to persuasion.
Resistance is the most important element in the persuasion process. And to understand and
be successful at persuasion, you need to understand resistance and where it comes from.
This gives you the tools to tackle the resistance and persuade your target group.
Resistance be reduced (and therefore persuasion achieved), by:
● Consuming resistance
● Training people to be appropriately resistant
● Postponing consequences to the future
● Focusing resistance on realistic concerns
● Forewarning that a message will be coming
● Acknowledging resistance
● Raising self-esteem and a sense of efficacy
Definition of resistance
Resistance can be understood through four perspectives (Webster’s definitions):
Behavioral outcome the act of resisting, opposing, withstanding, etc.
Motivational force The power or capacity to resist.
Oppositional force opposition of some force … to another or others
A hindrance to motion a force that retards, hinders, or opposes motion
Resistance as a(n) … (you can look at it in different ways - the perspective varies)
1) Reaction against change (i don’t like it, i don’t believe it, i won’t do it)
2) Ability to withstand a persuasive attack (McGuire’s)
3) Outcome of a process: not being moved by pressures to change
4) Motivational state: motivation to oppose and counter pressures to change
Dual perspectives on resistance: It is explored both as an outcome (e.g., refusal to change
attitudes) and as a motive (e.g., the desire to oppose influence).
2
,Strategies to increase resistance (McGuire, 1964)
1) increasing motivation to resist
2) arming with weapons needed to accomplish that resistance
Problems with outcome
Resistance to persuasion manifests in various ways, including:
● No attitude change (people remain unmoved - persuasive message has no effect)
● Boomerang effect (attitudes shift in the opposite direction).
● Derogation of the message source (viewing persuader untrustworthy/ incompetent).
Problems with motivation
● motivations to oppose may not result in behavioural resistance
3 components of resistance as attitude:
1) Affective: emotional opposition (“I don’t like it”)
2) Cognitive: disbelief or skepticism (“I don’t believe it”)
3) Behavioral: refusal to act (“I won’t do it”)
Source of resistance: can sometimes be more attributed to the person (individual), and
sometimes more to the situation (external).
Reactance = occurs when external threats to freedom provoke a strong motivation to
reassert autonomy. This is an emotionally charged reaction that occurs when influence is
perceived as overt or coercive.
Factors that determine the amount of reactance:
● freedoms that are threatened ➜ how many and how important (more = more
reactance)
● nature of threat ➜ arbitrary, blatant, direct and demanding requests will create more
reactance than legitimate, subtle, indirect and delicate requests.
Example: National week without meat and dairy
When people feel their autonomy is threatened, they experience an aversive emotional state
(reactance) and work to restore their freedom by rejecting persuasion. (adding comments like:
“I’ll decide what I want to eat myself” etc.)
Alternative campaign Gun Safety: combining humor with a sex appeal (both really effective).
However, not everyone will understand the humor or find it funny so it is risky to use it, and it
may be less effective for this campaign than the one using fear.
3
, 4 faces of resistance
Categorized into four "faces" based on perception:
Reactance Opposition triggered by perceived threats to Underlies affective
freedom. and motivational sides
of resistance.
the influence attempt is an integral element of
resistance. Reactance is initiated only when
influence is directly perceived and when it threatens
a person’s choice of alternatives.
Distrust Skepticism toward the motives or content of the Underlies affective
persuasive message and cognitive sides of
resistance.
spotlights the target of change, people have a
general distrust of proposals - wondering what the
motive behind the proposal might be and the true
facts are.
Scrutiny Careful evaluation of the message's content. Underlies the cognitive
side of resistance.
a general scrutiny that influence, offers or requests
create. When people are aware of an influence
attempt, they attend more carefully and thoughtfully
to every aspect of the situation. Emphasizes the
proposal itself. The strengths of arguments are
carefully evaluated.
Inertia A preference to maintain the status quo without active opposition.
a quality that focuses more on staying put than on resisting change. Attempts
to keep the attitude system in balance (no changes in affect/behaviour/belief).
Conclusion
Resistance is an integral part of the persuasion process. To fully understand how attitudes are
formed, maintained, or changed, one must also understand the mechanisms of resistance. By
addressing resistance head-on, communicators and researchers can unlock new ways to
make persuasive efforts more effective.
4
Lecture 1: Introduction
Lecture 2: Psychological reactance & politeness theory
Lecture 3: Persuasion knowledge and ad literacy
Lecture 4: Self-threat and cognitive dissonance
Lecture 5: Alpha and omega strategies for change
Lecture 6: Narrative persuasion and self-persuasion
Lecture 7: Humor and sexual appeals
Lecture 8: Influencer endorsement and native advertising
Lecture 9: Sponsorship disclosures and inoculation
1
,Lecture 1: Introduction
Knowles, E. S., & Linn, J. A. (2004). The importance of resistance to persuasion.
Resistance is the most important element in the persuasion process. And to understand and
be successful at persuasion, you need to understand resistance and where it comes from.
This gives you the tools to tackle the resistance and persuade your target group.
Resistance be reduced (and therefore persuasion achieved), by:
● Consuming resistance
● Training people to be appropriately resistant
● Postponing consequences to the future
● Focusing resistance on realistic concerns
● Forewarning that a message will be coming
● Acknowledging resistance
● Raising self-esteem and a sense of efficacy
Definition of resistance
Resistance can be understood through four perspectives (Webster’s definitions):
Behavioral outcome the act of resisting, opposing, withstanding, etc.
Motivational force The power or capacity to resist.
Oppositional force opposition of some force … to another or others
A hindrance to motion a force that retards, hinders, or opposes motion
Resistance as a(n) … (you can look at it in different ways - the perspective varies)
1) Reaction against change (i don’t like it, i don’t believe it, i won’t do it)
2) Ability to withstand a persuasive attack (McGuire’s)
3) Outcome of a process: not being moved by pressures to change
4) Motivational state: motivation to oppose and counter pressures to change
Dual perspectives on resistance: It is explored both as an outcome (e.g., refusal to change
attitudes) and as a motive (e.g., the desire to oppose influence).
2
,Strategies to increase resistance (McGuire, 1964)
1) increasing motivation to resist
2) arming with weapons needed to accomplish that resistance
Problems with outcome
Resistance to persuasion manifests in various ways, including:
● No attitude change (people remain unmoved - persuasive message has no effect)
● Boomerang effect (attitudes shift in the opposite direction).
● Derogation of the message source (viewing persuader untrustworthy/ incompetent).
Problems with motivation
● motivations to oppose may not result in behavioural resistance
3 components of resistance as attitude:
1) Affective: emotional opposition (“I don’t like it”)
2) Cognitive: disbelief or skepticism (“I don’t believe it”)
3) Behavioral: refusal to act (“I won’t do it”)
Source of resistance: can sometimes be more attributed to the person (individual), and
sometimes more to the situation (external).
Reactance = occurs when external threats to freedom provoke a strong motivation to
reassert autonomy. This is an emotionally charged reaction that occurs when influence is
perceived as overt or coercive.
Factors that determine the amount of reactance:
● freedoms that are threatened ➜ how many and how important (more = more
reactance)
● nature of threat ➜ arbitrary, blatant, direct and demanding requests will create more
reactance than legitimate, subtle, indirect and delicate requests.
Example: National week without meat and dairy
When people feel their autonomy is threatened, they experience an aversive emotional state
(reactance) and work to restore their freedom by rejecting persuasion. (adding comments like:
“I’ll decide what I want to eat myself” etc.)
Alternative campaign Gun Safety: combining humor with a sex appeal (both really effective).
However, not everyone will understand the humor or find it funny so it is risky to use it, and it
may be less effective for this campaign than the one using fear.
3
, 4 faces of resistance
Categorized into four "faces" based on perception:
Reactance Opposition triggered by perceived threats to Underlies affective
freedom. and motivational sides
of resistance.
the influence attempt is an integral element of
resistance. Reactance is initiated only when
influence is directly perceived and when it threatens
a person’s choice of alternatives.
Distrust Skepticism toward the motives or content of the Underlies affective
persuasive message and cognitive sides of
resistance.
spotlights the target of change, people have a
general distrust of proposals - wondering what the
motive behind the proposal might be and the true
facts are.
Scrutiny Careful evaluation of the message's content. Underlies the cognitive
side of resistance.
a general scrutiny that influence, offers or requests
create. When people are aware of an influence
attempt, they attend more carefully and thoughtfully
to every aspect of the situation. Emphasizes the
proposal itself. The strengths of arguments are
carefully evaluated.
Inertia A preference to maintain the status quo without active opposition.
a quality that focuses more on staying put than on resisting change. Attempts
to keep the attitude system in balance (no changes in affect/behaviour/belief).
Conclusion
Resistance is an integral part of the persuasion process. To fully understand how attitudes are
formed, maintained, or changed, one must also understand the mechanisms of resistance. By
addressing resistance head-on, communicators and researchers can unlock new ways to
make persuasive efforts more effective.
4
