By: Josh Brooks and Mattie Gibson

Fear appeals are often used in marketing and social policy, as a method of persuasion. Fear is an effective tool to change attitudes, which are moderated by the motivation and ability to process the fear message. "Appeal to Fear." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 2 Feb. 2012. Web.

19 Feb. 2012. 

Basically it is the use of fear to control others.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcEYNPlGba4 "Beyond Scared Straight: Sneak Peek - YouTube." YouTube -

Broadcast Yourself.Aetelevisionnetwork, 4 Jan. 2011. Web. 19 Feb. 2012. 

This Video is a preview of a show on A&E were inmates try to scare troubled teens to keep them out of jail. Since they use fear to try to change these teens it is a perfect example for this fallacy.

Abigail- “ Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.”

The appeal to fear- In this quote Abigail is using fear to control Betty and Mary Warren to prevent them from confessing what really happened in the woods.

Elizabeth- “Great stoned they lay upon [Giles] chest until he plead aye or nay. They say he give them but two words. “More weight,” he says. And died”

The scare tactics- Elizabeth is describing the fact that the courts tried to scare him into giving a plea of guilty or not guilty.

"Anti Smoking Ads - Session Magazine." Session Magazine - Daily Dose of Photos. Web. 19 Feb. 2012.

Most people are afraid to die. So the words “Smoking Kills … so why bother starting” is playing on that common fear which is an example of scare tactics.