The Effect of Perspective in Narratives towards Identification with the Character(s) and Persuasion.

Abstract

Persuasive narratives are an important part of health communication. Nevertheless, knowledge on the effects of person-perspectives in narratives lacks. The experiment in the current study had Dutch students read persuasive narratives on leading a healthier lifestyle. The narratives were written from either the first-, second- or third- person perspective, with the third-person perspective divided into male and female versions. Results show stronger intentions when reading the second-person perspective for female participants when compared to male participants. In addition, positive correlations were found between similarity and identification, between transportation and similarity, between transportation and identification and between intention and attitude. The results suggest that the effects of person-perspectives are more nuanced than anticipated and should therefore be examined further.