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Change through paradox: using self-verification to alter beliefs
W B Swann1, B W Pelham, T R Chidester
1Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin 78712.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|February 1, 1988
Summary
Conventional persuasion fails with certain beliefs. A paradoxical strategy, using superattitudinal questions, effectively shifts extreme viewpoints by encouraging more extreme statements, unlike traditional methods.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Attitude Change
- Belief Systems
Background:
- Conventional persuasion is often ineffective for individuals with high belief certainty.
- Understanding belief stability and change is crucial in social psychology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate a novel paradoxical persuasion strategy for individuals with high belief certainty.
- To compare the effectiveness of conventional versus paradoxical strategies in belief change.
Main Methods:
- A paradoxical strategy using superattitudinal leading questions was devised.
- Participants' beliefs about women's roles were targeted using either conventional or paradoxical methods.
- A follow-up study examined the mechanism of belief change.
Main Results:
- Conventional strategies effectively changed beliefs only in individuals with low certainty.
- The paradoxical strategy effectively changed beliefs only in individuals with high certainty.
- Paradoxical injunctions alter positions on belief dimensions, not the perception of the dimension itself.
Conclusions:
- A paradoxical persuasion strategy is effective for changing the beliefs of highly certain individuals.
- This research offers insights into interpersonal mechanisms driving belief stability and change.
- Findings have implications for understanding resistance and openness to attitude modification.