6.1: Introduction

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Page ID: 199313

Paula Cardwel, Angela Prelip, and Jennifer Graber-Peters
ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative (OERI)

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black and white, street, dog, canine, mammal, abandoned, monochrome, hound, cry, sad, homeless, look, vertebrate, stray dog, sick dog, man's best friend, animal shelter, sad dog, monochrome photography, street dog, dog like mammal, animal sports, Free Images In PxHere

Image courtesy of Pixabay and is published under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication license

In the arms of the angel Fly away from here From this dark cold hotel room And the endlessness that you fear ...

"Angel" by Sarah McLachlan

As you read these lyrics, chances are that you are recalling the famous–and very sad–ASPCA commercial, which featured photos and videos of abused and neglected animals while this song played. This ad has become somewhat iconic for emotional appeals.

This commercial raised $30 million in less than two years (Strom). As of this writing, various uploads of the commercial have over 6 million views on YouTube. The moral of the story: emotional appeals can be highly effective.

Although we often fancy ourselves to be rational creatures, and Western philosophical tradition tells us over and over that logic and reasoning are the gold-standard of decision making, the reality is that human brains are both emotional and logical, and research suggests that a lot of our decision making is based upon emotion. Research by Gallup indicates that "70% of decisions are based on emotion, including brand preference" (Pendell). Emotion affects more than brand preference or consumer behavior; "emotions constitute potent, pervasive, predictable, sometimes harmful and sometimes beneficial drivers of decision making" (Lerner et al.).

People need to feel safe, we need sustenance and affection, we need agency, and we need acceptance, among other things. We all have needs, and we are highly motivated to meet those needs. This brings us to motivational appeals. Gass and Seiter define motivational appeals as "external inducements, often of an emotional nature, that are designed to increase an individual's drive to undertake some course of action" (328). "External inducements" refer to things other than the persuasive message itself which seek to alter peoples' emotions, feelings, and moods.

First, we will distinguish between internal and external motivation as well as positive and negative motivation. We will then examine some common motivational appeals. Lastly, we will explore Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs and its implications for persuasion.

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