Using a fear appeal will only be effective if there is a strong perceived threat and a strong efficacy component.

Using a fear appeal will only be effective if there is a strong perceived threat and a strong efficacy component.

Using a fear appeal will only be effective if there is a strong perceived threat and a strong efficacy component.

Assignment Details: A fear appeal message is a persuasive message that attempts to arouse fear in order to change or redirect behavior through the threat of impending danger or harm. A fear appeal message presents a risk, emphasizes vulnerability to the risk, and then describes a suggested form of protective action.

Using a fear appeal will only be effective if there is a strong perceived threat and a strong efficacy component. The following are some possible responses to a fear appeal message.

No response. If the perceived susceptibility is low or the perceived severity of the consequences is low, then you will not respond in the manner the advertisement message desires. You either just do not think the danger will happen or it will not be that bad if it does happen. An example of this can be a fear appeal talking about getting the flu shot. For many getting the flu is not that big of a concern to be afraid of to warrant getting the flu shot.
Fear control response. In this situation, the perceived threat is greater than the perceived efficacy. In other words, you may believe that you are susceptible to a threat and believe that it will have severe consequences, but you do not believe that the recommended action will be effective to prevent the harm or you do not believe you have the ability to take effective action against the threat. An example of this may be developing cancer. Many people think that they will get cancer no matter what they do to prevent it.
 response. If you believe the perceived  is high, the recommended action will be effective, and believe you can effectively engage in the action, then you will tend to pursue the recommended action. This is the ideal balance in terms of crafting a fear appeal message. The designed message gets the individual’s attention and they feel that the preventative activity or behavior change can be effective and is doable. An example of this can be a health campaign addressing oral health issues that involve flossing or teeth brushing.
For this Discussion, search the Internet and/or print media and select a fear appeal message on a health issue. Consider the effectiveness of the fear appeal message. Think about how you might use fear appeal messages in your health communication campaign.
By Day 3
Post a description of the fear appeal message that you selected. Be sure to provide the link or full citation for the fear appeal message that you have selected. Then, identify the fear approach used in the fear appeal message. Explain whether you think it was an effective message to change health behavior and why. Justify your rationale. Then, explain how you might use this fear approach in your health communication campaign. Be specific and provide examples.

Remember to begin interaction with your colleagues in the Discussion no later than Day 5 and continue engaging through Day 7 and provide support for or challenge your colleagues’ rationales for the effectiveness of the fear appeal message that they selected. Then, provide an alternative fear approach that your colleagues might incorporate into their health communication campaign. Provide a rationale for your stated alternative.
Paper Format: APA
Number of pages: 1

 

 

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.