Transactional Analysis of Communication Styles in HIV/AIDS Advertisements

Abstract

Television advertising has been an important medium for health promotion campaigns addressing HIV/AIDS. This study sought to evaluate the 'Grim Reaper' and 'Multiple Beds' advertisements frequently broadcasted throughout Australia. Our model for evaluation was based on a theoretical synthesis of television advertising, transactional analysis (TA) and recall congruence. Eighty-three participants viewed each advertisement and rated which ego state the source of the message was attempting to 'hook' in the audience. They also predicted their own ego state during sexual intercourse and rated the effectiveness of the advertisements. As predicted by TA theory, a crossed transaction was associated with significantly less psychological impact than a parallel transaction for the 'Grim Reaper' advertisement. A similar trend was apparent for the 'Multiple Beds' advertisement. Important issues which warrant further research in order to evaluate whether transactional analysis could be a useful tool in promoting health are discussed.

Keywords

AIDS/HIV ego states health promotion television advertising transactional analysis

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