220 CHAPTER 16^ Foundations of Persuasion
Appealing to Needs
One of the most widely cited systems of classifying needs follows the work of Abraham
Maslow,^15 who ranked needs into five levels, each building on the others—generally in
the same order. Although he described five levels, Maslow himself believed that “most
behavior is multi-motivated”^16 and that a combination of levels is active in each situation.
Here are the levels and some suggestions for addressing each one:
• Basic needs: Link your topic to your listeners’ basic survival needs for water, air,
food, and shelter.
• Security and safety: Explain how to gain peace of mind, job security, safety, comfort,
better health, physical safety, and so on.
• Love and belonging: Show how your topic helps your listeners be better friends,
creates a stronger community, or builds ties between people.
• Esteem: Demonstrate respect for your listeners, and mention their accomplish-
ments when appropriate. Find ways to make them feel competent to carry out
your proposals. Let them know that their ideas, opinions, and concerns are significant.
• Self-actualization: Challenge your listeners to look beyond themselves and reach
out to others. Encourage them to dream big dreams and accomplish unique things.
As the Army slogan says, “Be all that you can be.”
A speech on food waste is built around our basic need for food and our need to
create a stronger community. One on America’s deteriorating infrastructure appeals to
our needs for safety and comfort while we travel. A speech on hovercraft (Chapter 11)
shows how engineers think outside the box to create unique inventions.
(To learn more about Maslow’s work, search the Internet for “Maslow’s hierarchy
of needs.” Look for additional levels that other scholars have added to his hierarchy.)Understanding Complex Motivations
As you can see, using pathos is complex because needs, wants, emotions, and values
overlap. As you create emotional appeals, keep in mind four important factors that
influence motivation.^17- Sometimes you must choose between two goals or emotions. Perhaps the choice
is between needs—job security or the ability to reach your potential. Or you may have
to choose the lesser of two evils—higher gasoline taxes or fewer highway repairs. - Circumstances affect motives. A person who just ended a significant relationship
may worry more about belonging and self-esteem than someone in a long-term
relationship. What motivates you is often different from what motivates someone
in a different socioeconomic group or in a different age group. - Our responses often reflect mixed motives. The donor who gives out of loyalty
to her institution may also feel pride when a building is named in her honor.
An angry blogger may write out of underlying anxiety, fear, and frustration. - Motivations are often group centered. What we want for ourselves, we want
for others, including our family, friends, religious groups, schools, towns, states,
society, and world. Consequently, a speech about injustices in other countries can
motivate listeners who want security for themselves and their own families, as well
as for strangers.
Testing Emotional Appeals
Emotions are not always trustworthy, so it is important to examine them to see if they
make sense. For example, if fear is your prime motivator, ask yourself if it is irrational or
justified? Excessive use of emotional appeals can cloud logical reasoning.Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
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