Sources of resistance to fear-arousing communications on smoking and lung cancer.

In a recent study Howard Leventhal and Patricia Niles investigated the effects of fear-arousing communications upon intentions to stop smoking and upon intentions to take chest X rays and the actual taking of X rays. The three communications used in the study included identical recommendations to stop smoking and to take X rays. The fear-arousing stimuli in two of the communications were color motion pictures on the dangers of lung cancer. A closer examination of the studies suggests that differences in personality among Ss sampled may be responsible for the contradictions. Such Ss are frightened by the communication but may reject the recommendations as ineffective or feel unable to carry them out On the other hand, "low vulnerable" Ss require an intense stimulus to activate desire to take protective actions. These contrasting reactions to strong threat ( high vulnerables showing resistance and "lows rulnerables" showing increased compliance) may account for the finding that the strong threat communication was not more persuasive than the mild threat.