analyze an advertising campaign (could be a series of ads, or just a single ad; could be either print or television, or both) aand discuss the persuasion tools and methods the advertising
Attitudes: Functions and Consequences I
Chapter 5, Part I
MCM 380, Spring 2016
Functions of Attitudes
Functional theories of attitudes examine why people hold the attitudes they do; explore the needs that attitudes fulfill and motives they serve.
Main functions and primary benefits of attitudes:
Knowledge
Utilitarian
Social Adjustive
Social Identity
Value-Expressive
Ego-Defensive
Functions of Attitudes
Functions and benefits of attitudes
Knowledge
Attitudes help people make sense of the world and explain events
Provide an overarching framework that help individuals come to terms and deal with ambiguous events (for e.g., religious attitudes)
Utilitarian
Attitudes help people obtain rewards and avoid punishments (for e.g., attitudes of students towards difficult subjects, attitudes of athletes towards tough coaches, etc)
Social Adjustive
Attitudes help us to “adjust to” reference groups. People sometimes adopt attitudes not because they truly agree with the advocated position, but rather because they believe they will be more accepted by others if they take the position (for e.g., teens and peer groups).
Functions of Attitudes
Functions and benefits of attitudes (contd.)
Social Identity
People hold attitudes to communicate who they are and what they aspire to be (for e.g., individuals and their consumer choices – clothes, perfumes, cell phones, electronics, etc)
Value-Expressive
People hold attitudes to express core values and cherished beliefs (tattoos, body piercing for teens and young adults --- independence and autonomy)
Ego-Defensive
Attitudes can serve as a “defense” against unpleasant emotions that people do not want to consciously acknowledge. People adopt attitudes to shield themselves from psychologically uncomfortable truths (for e.g., individuals’ attitudes towards negative relationships)
Attitudes and Persuasion
A central principle of functional theory is that the same attitudes can serve different functions for different people. In other words, different people can have the same attitude towards an issue, person, or product but for different reasons. For example, attitudes towards shopping.
Significance for persuasion?
Functional theory suggests that a persuasive message is most likely to change an individual’s attitude when the message is directed at the underlying function the attitude serves.
Messages that match the function served by an attitude should be more compelling than those that are not relevant to the function addressed by the attitude.
For example, persuading individuals to volunteer or participate in activities – one message will not appeal to everyone, you need to understand why (the reasons) people will choose to volunteer – the message must match the motivational function served by volunteering.
Attitudes and Persuasion
Attitude Dysfunctions
Negative aspect of attitude functions – an attitude that helps an individual satisfy certain needs can be detrimental in another respect.
An attitude can assist the person in coping with one problem, while exerting a more harmful or dysfunctional effect in another area of the person’s life.
For example, a teenager spending time at shopping malls – might gain self-identity from shopping, but in the process, may neglect his studies.
Attitudes can be functional for one individual, but dysfunctional for others.
For example, talking on cell phones – social identity for the cell phone user, but disconcerting for someone else who might be disturbed