It’s better to convince entertaining: Health communication and narrative persuasion
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35669/revistadecomunicacionysalud.2011.1(1).73-87Keywords:
entertainment-education; narrative persuasion; transportation-imagery model; extended elaboration likelihood model; identification with charactersAbstract
The goal of health communication interventions is to change behaviors, attitudes,
beliefs, social norms in certain public or social segments in order to increase people’s
quality of life and improve public health in a particular society or culture. Many health
communication interventions rely on the “ campaign” concept and are based on the
management model of social marketing. However, one of the most promising fields in
health communication is one that has come to be call ed entertainment-education.
Strategies based on entertainment-education include messages that appeal to their
audiences, have a strong emotional component and clear narrative structure, and often
engage the audience like any other commercial entertainment content. In this article
we review the entertainment-education approach: its defining aspects, its historical
origins, as well as the theoretical models that explain the success of such interventions,
which are based on the research of narrative persuasion: the use of fictional narrations
to induce changes in people’s attitudes.
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References
Ajzen, I. y Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
Bandura, A. (2004). Social cognitive theory for personal and social change by enabling media. En Singhal, A.; Cody, M.J.; Rogers, E.M. y Sabido, M. (Eds.). Entertainment-education and social change (pp. 75-96). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Bruner, J. (1988). Realidad mental y mundos posibles. Barcelona: Gedisa.
Cohen, J. (2001). Defining identification: a theoretical look at the identification of audiences with media characters. Mass Communication and Society. Vol. 4, nº 3, pp. 245-264.
Dal Cin, S.; Zanna, M. P. y Fong, G. T. (2002). Narrative persuasion and overcoming resistance. En Knowles, E. S. y Linn, J. A. (Eds.). Resistance and persuasion (pp. 175-191). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Dixon, H. G.; Hill, D. J.; Borland, R. y Paxton, S. J. (2001). Public reaction to the portrayal of the tobacco industry in the film ‘The Insider’. Tobacco Control. Vol. 10, nº 3, pp. 285-291.
Feilitzen, C. V. y Linné, O. (1975). Identification with television characters. Journal of Communication. Vol. 25, pp. 51-55.
Fishbein, M. y Cappella, J. N. (2006). The role of theory in developing effective health communications. Journal of Communication. Vol. 56 (suplemento), pp. 1-17.
Frijda, N. (1988). The laws of emotion. American Psychologist. Vol 43, nº 5, pp. 349-358.
Gerrig, R. J. (1993). Experiencing narrative worlds. On the psychological activities of reading. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Green, M. C. (2006). Narratives and cancer communication. Journal of Communication. Vol. 56 (suplemento), pp. 163-183.
Green, M. C. y Brock, T. C. (2000). The role of transportation in the persuasiveness of public narratives. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Vol. 79, nº 5, pp. 701-721.
Green, M. C. y Brock, T. C. (2002). In the mind’s eye. Transportation-imagery model of narrative persuasion. En Green, M. C.; Strange, J. J. y Brock, T. C. (Eds.). Narrative impact. Social and cognitive foundations (pp. 315-341). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Green, M. C. y Brock, T. C. (2005). Persuasiveness of narratives. En Brock, T. C. y Green, M. C. (Eds.). Persuasion. Psychological insights and perspectives (pp. 117-142). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage (2ª edición).
Green, M. C., Brock, T. C. y Kaufman, G. F. (2004). Understanding media enjoyment: the role of transportation into narrative worlds. Communication Theory. Vol. 14, nº 4, pp. 311-327.
Green, M. C.; Garst, J. y Brock, T. C. (2004). The power of fiction: determinants and boundaries. En Shrum, L. J. (Ed.). The psychology of entertainment media. Blurring the lines between entertainment and persuasion (pp. 161-176). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erbaum Associates.
Green, M. C.; Strange, J. J. y Brock, T. C. (2002). Narrative impact. Social and cognitive foundations. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Greenberg, B. S.; Salmon, C. T.; Patel, D.; Beck, V. y Cole, G. (2004). Evolution of an E-E research agenda. En Singhal, A.; Cody, M. J.; Rogers, E. M. y Sabido, M. (Eds.). Entertainmenteducation
and social change (pp. 191-206). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Igartua, J. J. (2007). Persuasión narrativa. Alicante: Editorial Club Universitario.
Igartua, J. J. (2010). Identification with characters and narrative persuasion through fictional feature films. Communications. The European Journal of Communication Research. Vol. 35, nº 4, pp. 347-373.
Igartua, J. J.; Acosta, T. y Frutos, F. J. (2009). Recepción en impacto del drama cinematográfico: el papel de la identificación con los personajes y la empatía. Global Media Journal Edición Iberoamericana. Vol. 6, nº 11, pp. 1-18.
Igartua, J. J.; Cheng, L. y Lopes, O. (2003). To think or not to think: two pathways towards persuasion by short films on Aids prevention. Journal of Health Communication. Vol. 8, nº 6, pp. 513-528.
Igartua, J. J. y Muñiz, C. (2008). Identificación con los personajes y disfrute ante largometrajes de ficción. Una investigación empírica. Comunicación y Sociedad. Vol. 21, nº 1, pp. 25-52.
Lapinski, M. K. y Nwulu, P. (2008). Can a short film impact hiv-related risk and stigma perceptions? Results from an experiment in Abuja, Nigeria. Health Communication. Vol. 23, pp. 403-412.
Mayordomo, S.; Zlobina, A.; Igartua, J. J. y Páez, D. (2003). Persuasión y cambio de actitudes. En Páez, D.; Fernández, I.; Ubillos, S. y Zubieta, E. (Eds.). Psicología social, cultura y educación (pp. 341-363). Madrid: Pearson-Prentice Hall.
Morgan, M. (2010). Cultivation analysis and media effects. En Nabi, R. L. y Oliver, M. B. (Eds.). The Sage handbook of media processes and effects (pp. 69-82). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Morgan, S. E.; Movius, L. y Cody, M. J. (2009). The power of narratives: the effect of entertainment television organ donation storylines on the attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors of donors and nondonors. Journal of Communication. Vol. 59, nº 1, pp. 135-151.
Moyer-Gusé, E. (2008). Toward a theory of entertainment persuasion: explaining the persuasive effects of entertainment-education messages. Communication Theory. Vol. 18, nº 3, pp. 407-425.
Moyer-Gusé, E. y Nabi, R. L. (2010). Explaining the effects of narrative in an entertainment television program: overcoming resistance to persuasion. Human Communication Research. Vol 36, nº 1, pp. 26-52.
Nell, V. (1988). Lost in a book. The psychology of reading for pleasure. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Oatley, K. (2002). Emotions and the story worlds of fiction. En Green, M. C.; Strange, J. J. y Brock, T. C. (Eds.). Narrative impact. Social and cognitive foundations (pp. 39-69). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Petraglia, J. (2007). Narrative intervention in behavior and public health. Journal of Health Communication. Vol. 12, pp. 493-505.
Petty, R. E.; Briñol, P. y Priester, J. R. (2009). Mass media attitude change: implications of the Elaboration Likelihood Model of persuasion. En Bryant, J.y Oliver, M. B. (Eds.). Media effects. Advances in theory and research (p. 125-164). Nueva York, NY: Routledge (3ª edición).
Petty, R. E. y Cacioppo, J. T. (1986). Communication and persuasion. Central and peripherical routes to attitude change. Nueva York, NY: Springer-Verlag.
Piotrow, P. T. y de Fossard, E. (2004). Entertainment-education as a public health intervention. En Singhal, A.; Cody, M. J.; Rogers, E. M. y Sabido, M. (Eds.). Entertainment-education and social change (pp. 39-60). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Poindexter, D. (2004). A history of entertainment-education, 1958-2000. En Singhal, A.; Cody, M. J.; Rogers, E. M. y Sabido, M. (Eds.). Entertainment-education and social change (pp. 21-37). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Rice, R. E. y Atkin, C. K. (2009). Public communication campaigns: theoretical principles and practical applications. En Bryant, J. y Oliver, M. B. Media effects. Advances in theory and research (pp. 436-468). Nueva York, NY: Routledge (3ª edición).
Sabido, M. (2004). The origins of entertainment-education. En Singhal, A.; Cody, M. J.; Rogers, E. M. y Sabido, M. (Eds.). Entertainment-education and social change (pp. 61-74). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Shanahan, J. y Morgan, M. (1999). Television and its viewers. Cultivation theory and research. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Singhal, A.; Cody, M. J.; Rogers, E. M. y Sabido, M. (2004). Entertainment-education and social change. History, research and practice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Singhal, A. y Rogers, E. M. (1999). Entertainment-education. A communication strategy for social change. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Singhal, A. y Rogers, E. M. (2002). A theoretical agenda for entertainment-education. Communication Theory. Vol. 12, nº 2, pp. 117-135.
Slater, M. D. (2002). Entertainment education and the persuasive impact of narratives. En
Green, M. C.; Strange, J. J. y Brock, T. C. (Eds.). Narrative impact. Social and cognitive foundations (pp. 157-181). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Slater, M. D. y Rouner, D. (2002). Entertainment-education and elaboration likelihood: understanding the processing of narrative persuasion. Communication Theory. Vol. 12, nº 2, pp. 173-191.
Snyder, L. B. y Rouse, R. A. (1995). The media can have more than an impersonal impact: the case of AIDS risk perception and behaviour. Health Communication. Vol. 7, pp. 125-145.
Sood, S.; Menard, T. y Witte, K. (2004). The theory behind entertainment-education programs. En Singhal, A.; Cody, M. J.; Rogers, E. M. y Sabido, M. (Eds.). Entertainment-education and social change (pp. 117-149). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Tan, E. S. (1996). Emotion and the structure of narrative film. Film as an emotion machine. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Usdin, S.; Singhal, A.; Shongwe, T.; Goldstein, S. y Shabalala, A. (2004). No short cuts in entertainment- education: designing Soul City step-by-step. En Singhal, A.; Cody, M. J.; Rogers, E. M. y Sabido, M. (Eds.). Entertainment-education and social change (pp. 153-175). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Viswanath, K.; Wallington, S. F. y Blake, K. D. (2010). Media effects and population health. En R. L. Nabi y M. B. Oliver (Eds.). The Sage handbook of media processes and effects (pp. 313- 344). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Bandura, A. (2004). Social cognitive theory for personal and social change by enabling media. En Singhal, A.; Cody, M.J.; Rogers, E.M. y Sabido, M. (Eds.). Entertainment-education and social change (pp. 75-96). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Bruner, J. (1988). Realidad mental y mundos posibles. Barcelona: Gedisa.
Cohen, J. (2001). Defining identification: a theoretical look at the identification of audiences with media characters. Mass Communication and Society. Vol. 4, nº 3, pp. 245-264.
Dal Cin, S.; Zanna, M. P. y Fong, G. T. (2002). Narrative persuasion and overcoming resistance. En Knowles, E. S. y Linn, J. A. (Eds.). Resistance and persuasion (pp. 175-191). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Dixon, H. G.; Hill, D. J.; Borland, R. y Paxton, S. J. (2001). Public reaction to the portrayal of the tobacco industry in the film ‘The Insider’. Tobacco Control. Vol. 10, nº 3, pp. 285-291.
Feilitzen, C. V. y Linné, O. (1975). Identification with television characters. Journal of Communication. Vol. 25, pp. 51-55.
Fishbein, M. y Cappella, J. N. (2006). The role of theory in developing effective health communications. Journal of Communication. Vol. 56 (suplemento), pp. 1-17.
Frijda, N. (1988). The laws of emotion. American Psychologist. Vol 43, nº 5, pp. 349-358.
Gerrig, R. J. (1993). Experiencing narrative worlds. On the psychological activities of reading. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Green, M. C. (2006). Narratives and cancer communication. Journal of Communication. Vol. 56 (suplemento), pp. 163-183.
Green, M. C. y Brock, T. C. (2000). The role of transportation in the persuasiveness of public narratives. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Vol. 79, nº 5, pp. 701-721.
Green, M. C. y Brock, T. C. (2002). In the mind’s eye. Transportation-imagery model of narrative persuasion. En Green, M. C.; Strange, J. J. y Brock, T. C. (Eds.). Narrative impact. Social and cognitive foundations (pp. 315-341). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Green, M. C. y Brock, T. C. (2005). Persuasiveness of narratives. En Brock, T. C. y Green, M. C. (Eds.). Persuasion. Psychological insights and perspectives (pp. 117-142). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage (2ª edición).
Green, M. C., Brock, T. C. y Kaufman, G. F. (2004). Understanding media enjoyment: the role of transportation into narrative worlds. Communication Theory. Vol. 14, nº 4, pp. 311-327.
Green, M. C.; Garst, J. y Brock, T. C. (2004). The power of fiction: determinants and boundaries. En Shrum, L. J. (Ed.). The psychology of entertainment media. Blurring the lines between entertainment and persuasion (pp. 161-176). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erbaum Associates.
Green, M. C.; Strange, J. J. y Brock, T. C. (2002). Narrative impact. Social and cognitive foundations. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Greenberg, B. S.; Salmon, C. T.; Patel, D.; Beck, V. y Cole, G. (2004). Evolution of an E-E research agenda. En Singhal, A.; Cody, M. J.; Rogers, E. M. y Sabido, M. (Eds.). Entertainmenteducation
and social change (pp. 191-206). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Igartua, J. J. (2007). Persuasión narrativa. Alicante: Editorial Club Universitario.
Igartua, J. J. (2010). Identification with characters and narrative persuasion through fictional feature films. Communications. The European Journal of Communication Research. Vol. 35, nº 4, pp. 347-373.
Igartua, J. J.; Acosta, T. y Frutos, F. J. (2009). Recepción en impacto del drama cinematográfico: el papel de la identificación con los personajes y la empatía. Global Media Journal Edición Iberoamericana. Vol. 6, nº 11, pp. 1-18.
Igartua, J. J.; Cheng, L. y Lopes, O. (2003). To think or not to think: two pathways towards persuasion by short films on Aids prevention. Journal of Health Communication. Vol. 8, nº 6, pp. 513-528.
Igartua, J. J. y Muñiz, C. (2008). Identificación con los personajes y disfrute ante largometrajes de ficción. Una investigación empírica. Comunicación y Sociedad. Vol. 21, nº 1, pp. 25-52.
Lapinski, M. K. y Nwulu, P. (2008). Can a short film impact hiv-related risk and stigma perceptions? Results from an experiment in Abuja, Nigeria. Health Communication. Vol. 23, pp. 403-412.
Mayordomo, S.; Zlobina, A.; Igartua, J. J. y Páez, D. (2003). Persuasión y cambio de actitudes. En Páez, D.; Fernández, I.; Ubillos, S. y Zubieta, E. (Eds.). Psicología social, cultura y educación (pp. 341-363). Madrid: Pearson-Prentice Hall.
Morgan, M. (2010). Cultivation analysis and media effects. En Nabi, R. L. y Oliver, M. B. (Eds.). The Sage handbook of media processes and effects (pp. 69-82). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Morgan, S. E.; Movius, L. y Cody, M. J. (2009). The power of narratives: the effect of entertainment television organ donation storylines on the attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors of donors and nondonors. Journal of Communication. Vol. 59, nº 1, pp. 135-151.
Moyer-Gusé, E. (2008). Toward a theory of entertainment persuasion: explaining the persuasive effects of entertainment-education messages. Communication Theory. Vol. 18, nº 3, pp. 407-425.
Moyer-Gusé, E. y Nabi, R. L. (2010). Explaining the effects of narrative in an entertainment television program: overcoming resistance to persuasion. Human Communication Research. Vol 36, nº 1, pp. 26-52.
Nell, V. (1988). Lost in a book. The psychology of reading for pleasure. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Oatley, K. (2002). Emotions and the story worlds of fiction. En Green, M. C.; Strange, J. J. y Brock, T. C. (Eds.). Narrative impact. Social and cognitive foundations (pp. 39-69). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Petraglia, J. (2007). Narrative intervention in behavior and public health. Journal of Health Communication. Vol. 12, pp. 493-505.
Petty, R. E.; Briñol, P. y Priester, J. R. (2009). Mass media attitude change: implications of the Elaboration Likelihood Model of persuasion. En Bryant, J.y Oliver, M. B. (Eds.). Media effects. Advances in theory and research (p. 125-164). Nueva York, NY: Routledge (3ª edición).
Petty, R. E. y Cacioppo, J. T. (1986). Communication and persuasion. Central and peripherical routes to attitude change. Nueva York, NY: Springer-Verlag.
Piotrow, P. T. y de Fossard, E. (2004). Entertainment-education as a public health intervention. En Singhal, A.; Cody, M. J.; Rogers, E. M. y Sabido, M. (Eds.). Entertainment-education and social change (pp. 39-60). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Poindexter, D. (2004). A history of entertainment-education, 1958-2000. En Singhal, A.; Cody, M. J.; Rogers, E. M. y Sabido, M. (Eds.). Entertainment-education and social change (pp. 21-37). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Rice, R. E. y Atkin, C. K. (2009). Public communication campaigns: theoretical principles and practical applications. En Bryant, J. y Oliver, M. B. Media effects. Advances in theory and research (pp. 436-468). Nueva York, NY: Routledge (3ª edición).
Sabido, M. (2004). The origins of entertainment-education. En Singhal, A.; Cody, M. J.; Rogers, E. M. y Sabido, M. (Eds.). Entertainment-education and social change (pp. 61-74). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Shanahan, J. y Morgan, M. (1999). Television and its viewers. Cultivation theory and research. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Singhal, A.; Cody, M. J.; Rogers, E. M. y Sabido, M. (2004). Entertainment-education and social change. History, research and practice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Singhal, A. y Rogers, E. M. (1999). Entertainment-education. A communication strategy for social change. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Singhal, A. y Rogers, E. M. (2002). A theoretical agenda for entertainment-education. Communication Theory. Vol. 12, nº 2, pp. 117-135.
Slater, M. D. (2002). Entertainment education and the persuasive impact of narratives. En
Green, M. C.; Strange, J. J. y Brock, T. C. (Eds.). Narrative impact. Social and cognitive foundations (pp. 157-181). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Slater, M. D. y Rouner, D. (2002). Entertainment-education and elaboration likelihood: understanding the processing of narrative persuasion. Communication Theory. Vol. 12, nº 2, pp. 173-191.
Snyder, L. B. y Rouse, R. A. (1995). The media can have more than an impersonal impact: the case of AIDS risk perception and behaviour. Health Communication. Vol. 7, pp. 125-145.
Sood, S.; Menard, T. y Witte, K. (2004). The theory behind entertainment-education programs. En Singhal, A.; Cody, M. J.; Rogers, E. M. y Sabido, M. (Eds.). Entertainment-education and social change (pp. 117-149). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Tan, E. S. (1996). Emotion and the structure of narrative film. Film as an emotion machine. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Usdin, S.; Singhal, A.; Shongwe, T.; Goldstein, S. y Shabalala, A. (2004). No short cuts in entertainment- education: designing Soul City step-by-step. En Singhal, A.; Cody, M. J.; Rogers, E. M. y Sabido, M. (Eds.). Entertainment-education and social change (pp. 153-175). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Viswanath, K.; Wallington, S. F. y Blake, K. D. (2010). Media effects and population health. En R. L. Nabi y M. B. Oliver (Eds.). The Sage handbook of media processes and effects (pp. 313- 344). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
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How to Cite
José Igartua, Juan. 2011. “It’s better to convince entertaining: Health communication and narrative persuasion”. Revista de Comunicación y Salud 1 (1):73-87. https://doi.org/10.35669/revistadecomunicacionysalud.2011.1(1).73-87.
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