Attitude Functions and Persuasion in the ELM Model
This paper examines the psychological functions of attitudes and the processes by which they can be changed through persuasion. Drawing on Snyder and DeBono's functional theory, the paper identifies four core attitude functions—ego-defensive, knowledge, value expressive, and social adjustive—and supplements these with Levin's instrumental function. Real-world examples, including consumer brand preferences and voting behavior, illustrate how different functions operate differently across individuals. The paper then analyzes the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), explaining how the central route engages high-involvement cognitive processing while the peripheral route relies on cues such as jingles and brand mascots to sustain consumer awareness.
- Introduction to Functional Theories of Attitudes: Functional theory overview and individual variation
- The Four Core Attitude Functions: Ego-defensive, knowledge, value expressive, social adjustive
- The Instrumental Function and Brand Attitudes: Levin's fifth function and consumer brand examples
- The Elaboration Likelihood Model: Two Routes to Persuasion: ELM definition and central vs. peripheral routes
- Central and Peripheral Routes: Examples and Implications: Advertising cues, mascots, and consumer consciousness
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What makes this paper effective
- Each attitude function is immediately grounded in a concrete, relatable example (e.g., voting behavior for value expressive, cocktail fundraisers for social adjustive), making abstract theory accessible.
- The paper builds systematically, moving from Snyder and DeBono's foundational four functions to Levin's fifth function and then to brand-level applications, showing genuine theoretical integration.
- The ELM section uses vivid advertising examples (the Michelin Man, the Geico Gecko) to distinguish central from peripheral processing in a memorable and analytically clear way.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates source synthesis: rather than summarizing one theorist at a time in isolation, it layers multiple scholars (Snyder, Levin, LeBoeuf, O'Guinn) so that each source extends or qualifies the previous one. This creates a cumulative argument rather than a series of disconnected summaries.
Structure breakdown
The paper is organized into two clearly signaled question-response blocks. The first block addresses attitude functions in five parts: Snyder's four functions, Levin's instrumental addition, and LeBoeuf's brand application. The second block addresses the ELM, first defining the model and then distinguishing central and peripheral routes with advertising examples. Citations are integrated throughout rather than clustered, supporting each individual claim as it is made.
Introduction to Functional Theories of Attitudes
Mark Snyder and Kenneth G. DeBono reference "functional theories" of attitudes, explaining that the functional aspect of attitudes allows people to "execute plans and achieve goals" (Snyder, et al, 1989). Importantly, functional theory often serves "very different functions for different people" because, even when two individuals hold very similar attitudes, the persuasive conditions required to change those attitudes may "be quite different" (Snyder, 340). As Snyder emphasizes, in order to "successfully change an attitude," the specific function being served by that attitude must be directly addressed.
The Four Core Attitude Functions
Snyder and DeBono identify four distinct functions that attitudes can perform. The first is the ego-defensive function: people protect themselves from "accepting truths about themselves" that are undesirable or threatening (Snyder, 340). One mechanism for this is "reaction formation," in which a person who despises a neighbor becomes excessively friendly toward that neighbor — concealing true feelings in order to avoid confronting an uncomfortable reality.
The second function is knowledge. People need to organize information efficiently, so they categorize objects based on limited information and use "attributes associated with general categories" to pass judgment on "specific objects" (Snyder, 340). This allows individuals to navigate a complex world without exhaustively evaluating every stimulus from scratch.
The third function is value expressive. This type of attitude allows a person to express his or her "true self — that is, his or her underlying values, dispositions, or personality" (Snyder, 341). A clear example is a voter who supports banning assault rifles and goes to the polls to vote for a candidate whose platform centers on that issue. The voter is expressing deeply held values through his or her attitude and behavior.
The fourth function is social adjustive. This attitude forms when an individual wishes to fit in with a particular social group. Using the same gun-policy example, a person with a social adjustive attitude might attend a cocktail fundraiser for a candidate who supports an assault weapons ban — not necessarily because of deeply held inner convictions, but because associating with that liberal, gun-control-oriented group fulfills a social need and allows the individual to belong to a desirable social setting (Snyder, 341). The key distinction from the value expressive function is motivation: social fitting-in rather than authentic self-expression.
The Elaboration Likelihood Model: Two Routes to Persuasion
The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) proposes that, in order to understand how "a persuasive communication may affect a person's attitudes," one must consider the motivation and ability of that person to elaborate on the message being processed (O'Guinn, et al, 2008, 169). O'Guinn identifies two distinct routes to attitude change: the central route and the peripheral route (169).
Works Cited
Hansen, Flemming Yssing, and Christiansen, Sverre Riis. (2007). Emotions, Advertising and Consumer Choice. Frederiksberg, DK: Copenhagen Business School Press.
O'Guinn, Thomas, Allen, Chris T., and Semenik, Richard J. (2008). Advertising & Integrated Brand Promotion. Independence, KY: Cengage Learning.
Snyder, Mark, and DeBono, Kenneth G. (1989). "Understanding the Functions of Attitudes: Lessons from Personality and Social Behavior." In Attitude Structure and Function, Eds. A. Pratkanis, S. Breckler, and A. Greenwald. Florence, KY: Psychology Press.
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