Attitude Change and Persuasive Communication

Attitude change is a common phenomenon that refers to modifying an individual's feelings, beliefs, and evaluations towards a particular object, person, or event. Attitude change can occur due to a variety of factors, including persuasive communication.

Persuasive communication refers to messages that are designed to influence an individual's attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors. Persuasion can take many forms, including advertising, political campaigns, and interpersonal communication. One of the key factors that contribute to the effectiveness of persuasive messages is the source of the message. Individuals are more likely to be influenced by messages from credible, trustworthy, and likable sources.

Another important factor that contributes to attitude change is the type of message. Messages that are argumentative and provide strong evidence and reasoning tend to be more effective at influencing attitudes than messages that simply express personal opinions or emotional appeals. Additionally, messages tailored to the target audience's specific beliefs and attitudes are also more likely to be effective at changing attitudes.

However, attitude change is not always easy to achieve, as individuals often have well-established attitudes and beliefs that are resistant to change. One approach to overcoming this resistance is to use social influence, by exposing individuals to messages from others who hold similar attitudes or beliefs. This can increase the perceived normative pressure to adopt a particular attitude, leading to attitude change.

References

1. Petty, R. E., & Cacioppo, J. T. (1986). The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 19, 123-205.
2. Eagly, A. H., & Chaiken, S. (1993). The psychology of attitudes. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers.
3. Cialdini, R. B. (2001). Influence: Science and practice (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.