Changing Breast Self-Examination Attitudes: Influences of Repression–Sensitization and Attitude–Message Match

Abstract

Few women regularly perform breast self-examinations (BSE) despite attempts by the American Cancer Society to encourage this activity. The present study suggested that in order to understand the relationship between persuasive messages and BSE attitudes message-type, attitude-type and personality-type need to be considered. It was hypothesized that women classified as sensitizers would agree more with messages that matched the way in which they were thinking about BSE, i.e., an emotional message to an affectively focused person or an informational message to a cognitively focused person. Alternatively, women classified as repressors would agree more with messages that did not match the way in which they were thinking about BSE, i.e., an emotional message of a cognitively focused person or an informational message to an affectively focused person. To test this hypothesis participants were first classified as Repressors or Sensitizers and then either focused on their affective or cognitive responses to BSE. Following this either informational or emotional messages promoting BSE were presented. Results supported the hypothesis.