Are some narratives better than others?: The impact of different narrative forms on adolescents’ intentions to text and drive

Abstract

Psychological reactance theory posits individuals seek to restore freedom when threatened. Communication scholars have hypothesized persuasive messages can constitute threats to freedom. The current study engages questions about the potential for different forms of narratives in public service announcements (PSAs) to trigger freedom threats by examining responses to a PSA campaign that utilized three forms of narrative (celebrity testimonials, peer testimonials, and accident stories) to decrease adolescent texting and driving intentions. Participants (N = 214) watched anti‐texting and driving narratives, and completed measures of threat to freedom, anger, negative cognition, and attitudes/intentions toward texting/driving. Compared to celebrity/peer testimonial PSAs, accident stories triggered increased anger and, indirectly, decreased intentions to drive safely. The results also suggest the need for continued examination of the best way to model psychological reactance theory, and the value of further research explicating anger as a mechanism of message effects.

Intention to Screen for Hepatitis C Among University Students: Influence of Different Communicative Scenarios

“…In our study, the positive and ambivalent scenarios, however, suggested that there is a cure and they probably lower the fear of the disease; with regard to the ambivalent scenario, we can hypothesize the stimulation of anger or resignation as the last emotion the person came into contact with, when the information passed on stated that the cure existed but was not available due to economic reasons. The recent study by Scherr et al ( 45 ) showed that anger solicitation in the use of persuasive scenarios lowers the intention to follow the desired directions of the preventive campaign.…”