Open AccessOvercoming denial and increasing the intention to use condoms through the induction of hypocrisy.
Author(s) -
Elliot Aronson,
Carrie B. Fried,
Jeff Stone
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.81.12.1636
Subject(s) - hypocrisy , denial , condom , feeling , medicine , social psychology , psychology , family medicine , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , psychotherapist , political science , syphilis , law
Feelings of hypocrisy were induced in college students to increase condom use. Hypocrisy was created by making subjects mindful of their past failure to use condoms and then having them persuade others about the importance of condoms for AIDS prevention. The induction of hypocrisy decreased denial and led to greater intent to improve condom use relative to the control conditions. The implications of these findings for AIDS prevention are discussed.