Week 2 Response to Content

Maximum effects theory, Bullet theory or Inoculation theory was developed by William James McGuire in 1961. This theory was developed to explain how a person or a group of people’s attitudes and beliefs change, how to keep ones original beliefs intact, and not be influenced by ones surroundings. When McGuire was developing this theory he drew his inspiration from a medical analogy. He theorised that to prevent ones changing believes they would need a belief immunisation which Jost and Banaji define in their paper titled William James McGuire as “exposing an individual to a relatively weak attack on a belief and allowing him or her to engage in a counter argumentation” (2008)  thus resulting in inoculation theory.

This theory is widely used through many social and professional fields, but one field that uses this theory copiously is the marketing and advertising field. Marketers and advertisers set out on a daily basis to change opinions of prospective purchasers (Szybillo, Heslin, 1973). For example when advertising a pair of jeans, the marketers objective is not for the audience to look at that pair of jeans and remain partial to them. Marketers want the audience’s opinion of the jeans to change resulting in the purchase of the mentioned pair of jeans. This clip is a good marketing example of inoculation theory.

A great example of inoculation theory being used in a positive form is the politician’s war on drugs campaign held in America. The majority of this campaigning was done in schools through changes of the curriculum. The goal of the campaign was stated as “In addition to increasing knowledge about drugs, the goals of these drug programs include changing of personal attitudes and behavior regarding drug use and abuse” (Baker, Petty, Gleicher, 1991), which is a clear use of the inoculation theory.

William James McGuire’s inoculation theory has taken on many purposes throughout the years and will continue to do so in the technologically advancing years to come.

References

·         Baker. S, M, Petty. R. E, Gleicher. F 1991, Persuasion Theory and Drug Abuse Prevention, Health Communication, No. 4, August, pp 193-20, (Online Griffith University)

·         Jost. J. T, Banaji. M. R, 2008, William James McGuire, Vol.3, No. 4, Viewed 7^th August 2011, http://www.psych.nyu.edu/jost/Jost%20&%20Banaji.%20McGuire%20Obituary.%20American%20Psychologist.pdf

·         Szybillo. G. J, Heslin. R, 1973, Resistance to Persuasion: Inoculation theory in a marketing context,  Vol X, Viewed 7^th August 2011 http://www.jstor.org/pss/3149387