The relationship between coping and avoiding behavior and response to fear-arousing propaganda.

Abstract

"Avoiders are unable to recognize tension-producing stimuli and relate them to themselves, while copers show the capacity to recognize such stimuli and relate them to themselves. . . . The results support the hypothesis that a strong fear appeal receives greater acceptance among copers than among avoiders. . . . The obtained pattern of acceptance is largely due to the marked differential effectiveness of the two appeals on the avoider group, and not as was originally predicted, to any differential acceptance by copers.".