Advanced search
Publication Cover
Media Psychology Volume 21, 2018 - Issue 3
Submit an article Journal homepage
5,503
Views
54
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Does Character Similarity Increase Identification and Persuasion?

Jonathan CohenDepartment of Communication, University of Haifa, Haifa, IsraelCorrespondence[email protected]
View further author information
,
Dana Weimann-SaksDepartment of Communication, Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, Emek Yezreel, IsraelView further author information
&
Maya Mazor-TregermanDepartment of Communication, University of Haifa, Haifa, IsraelView further author information
Pages 506-528 | Published online: 04 Apr 2017

Citations (54)

Keep up to date with the latest research on this topic with citation updates for this article.

Subscribe to citation updates

Read on this site (17)

Ruta Kaskeleviciute, Helena Knupfer & Jörg Matthes. (2023) Who Says “Muslims Are Not Terrorists”? News Differentiation, Muslim versus Non-Muslim Sources, and Attitudes toward Muslims. Mass Communication and Society 0:0, pages 1-24.
Read now
Juan-José Igartua, Alejandro González-Vázquez & Carlos Arcila-Calderón. (2023) The Effect of Similarity to a Transitional Role Model of an Entertainment–Education Narrative Designed to Improve Attitudes Toward Immigrants: Evidence from Three European Countries. Media Psychology 0:0, pages 1-32.
Read now
Lynn S. Eekhof, Kobie van Krieken, José Sanders & Roel M. Willems. (2023) Engagement with narrative characters: the role of social-cognitive abilities and linguistic viewpoint. Discourse Processes 60:6, pages 411-439.
Read now
Shani Or, Naama Meir, Doron Ron, Oren Livio, Yariv Tsfati & Nurit Tal-Or. (2023) The Impact of Testimony Journalism on Audience Engagement: An Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Point of View. Journalism Studies 24:5, pages 573-593.
Read now
Marko Dragojevic, Aurora Occa & Zane A. Dayton. (2023) Effects of Character Accent on Perceived Similarity, Transportation, and Narrative Persuasion. Health Communication 0:0, pages 1-10.
Read now
Zexin Ma. (2022) The use of immersive stories to influence college students’ attitudes and intentions related to drinking and driving. Journal of American College Health 70:7, pages 2042-2049.
Read now
Michelle Möri, Perina Siegenthaler & Andreas Fahr. (2022) Feeling pressured by health prevention campaigns as a motivational force: Examining the role of visual and verbal mode design features. Health Marketing Quarterly 39:4, pages 337-355.
Read now
John M. Tchernev. (2022) Creating Character Identification and Liking in Narratives: The Impact of Protagonist Motivations on Real-Time Audience Responses. Media Psychology 25:5, pages 740-761.
Read now
John J. Brooks, Nathan Walter, Erica L. Rosenthal & Kate Langrall Folb. (2022) Contentious Entertainment: The Role of Character and Narrative Features in Shaping Audience Response to Abortion Storylines. Journal of Health Communication 27:4, pages 232-240.
Read now
Mi Zhou, A. Susana Ramírez & Deepti Chittamuru. (2022) Toward a Recipe for Deep versus Surface Level Tailoring: Mixed-Methods Validation of Message Features to Reduce Sugary Beverage Consumption. Journal of Health Communication 27:4, pages 211-221.
Read now
Katheryn R. Christy, Matthew Minich, Ran Tao, Karyn Riddle & Sunghak Kim. (2022) To Tailor or Not to Tailor: An Investigation of Narrative Tailoring for Health Communication. Journal of Health Communication 27:3, pages 152-163.
Read now
Eric E Rasmussen, Rachel E. Riggs & Willow S. Sauermilch. (2022) Kidfluencer exposure, materialism, and U.S. tweens’ purchase of sponsored products. Journal of Children and Media 16:1, pages 68-77.
Read now
Liselot Hudders & Steffi De Jans. (2022) Gender effects in influencer marketing: an experimental study on the efficacy of endorsements by same- vs. other-gender social media influencers on Instagram. International Journal of Advertising 41:1, pages 128-149.
Read now
Anne Hamby & Niusha Jones. (2022) The Effect of Affect: An Appraisal Theory Perspective on Emotional Engagement in Narrative Persuasion. Journal of Advertising 51:1, pages 116-131.
Read now
Brigitte Naderer, Jörg Matthes & Stephanie Schäfer. (2021) Effects of disclosing ads on Instagram: the moderating impact of similarity to the influencer. International Journal of Advertising 40:5, pages 686-707.
Read now
Drew P. Cingel, Sindy R. Sumter & Megan Jansen. (2020) How Does She Do It? An Experimental Study of the Pro- and Anti-social Effects of Watching Superhero Content among Late Adolescents. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 64:3, pages 459-477.
Read now
Tae Kyoung Lee & Leona Yi-Fan Su. (2020) When a Personal HPV Story on a Blog Influences Perceived Social Norms: The Roles of Personal Experience, Framing, Perceived Similarity, and Social Media Metrics. Health Communication 35:4, pages 438-446.
Read now

Articles from other publishers (37)

Anne Hamby, Davide Orazi & Patrick Moreau. (2024) Whose story is this? Source reveal as a communication tactic to increase consumers’ advocacy for social causes. Journal of Business Research 170, pages 114309.
Crossref
Meng Chen, Yujie Dong & Jilong Wang. (2023) A Meta-Analysis Examining the Role of Character-Recipient Similarity in Narrative Persuasion. Communication Research.
Crossref
Shiyun Tian, Su Yeon Cho, Xiaofeng Jia, Ruoyu Sun & Wanhsiu Sunny Tsai. (2023) Antecedents and outcomes of Generation Z consumers’ contrastive and assimilative upward comparisons with social media influencers. Journal of Product & Brand Management 32:7, pages 1046-1062.
Crossref
Anna Felnhofer, Lena Wittmann, Adelais Reichmann, Dorothea König-Teshnizi & Oswald D. Kothgassner. (2022) Character identification is predicted by narrative transportation, immersive tendencies, and interactivity. Current Psychology 42:22, pages 18567-18577.
Crossref
Charles W. MeadowsIIIIII. (2023) Entertainment or Engagement? An Examination of Transportation and Gender in Virtual Reality. SAGE Open 13:3.
Crossref
Kate Y. Huang, Helene H. Fung & Peifeng Sun. (2023) The effect of audience–character similarity on identification with narrative characters: A meta-analysis. Current Psychology.
Crossref
Freya Sukalla. (2023) Narrative Persuasion – theoretische Ansätze und empirische Ergebnisse zur Überzeugungskraft von NarrationenNarrative persuasion—theoretical approaches and empirical results regarding the persuasive power of narratives. Soziale Passagen 15:1, pages 23-37.
Crossref
Elise Talgorn & Helle Ullerup. (2023) Invoking ‘Empathy for the Planet’ through Participatory Ecological Storytelling: From Human-Centered to Planet-Centered Design. Sustainability 15:10, pages 7794.
Crossref
Brigitte Naderer. (2023) Influencers as political agents? The potential of an unlikely source to motivate political action. Communications 48:1, pages 93-111.
Crossref
Juan-José Igartua & Diego Cachón-Ramón. (2021) Personal narratives to improve attitudes towards stigmatized immigrants: A parallel-serial mediation model. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations 26:1, pages 96-119.
Crossref
James Walsh, Naomi Vaida, Alin Coman & Susan T. Fiske. (2023) Stories in Action. Psychological Science in the Public Interest 23:3, pages 99-141.
Crossref
Shuo Zhou & Michael A. Shapiro. (2022) Impacts of character morality on egocentric projection and identification. Poetics 95, pages 101731.
Crossref
Delia Cristina Balaban, Julia Szambolics & Mihai Chirică. (2022) Parasocial relations and social media influencers' persuasive power. Exploring the moderating role of product involvement. Acta Psychologica 230, pages 103731.
Crossref
Sheila T. Murphy & Ashley Phelps. 2022. The International Encyclopedia of Health Communication. The International Encyclopedia of Health Communication 1 7 .
James J Cummings, Mina Tsay-Vogel, Tiernan J Cahill & Li Zhang. (2021) Effects of immersive storytelling on affective, cognitive, and associative empathy: The mediating role of presence. New Media & Society 24:9, pages 2003-2026.
Crossref
Juan-José Igartua, Alejandro González-Vázquez & Carlos Arcila-Calderón. (2022) Using testimonial narratives to persuade people about artificial intelligence: the role of attitudinal similarity with the protagonist of the message. El Profesional de la información.
Crossref
Leonie N.C. Visser, Naomi C.A. van der Velden, Ellen M.A. Smets, Samantha van der Lelie, Eva Nieuwenbroek, Liesbeth M. van Vliet & Marij A. Hillen. (2022) Methodological choices in experimental research on medical communication using vignettes: The impact of gender congruence and vignette modality. Patient Education and Counseling 105:6, pages 1634-1641.
Crossref
Mi Zhou, Deepti Chittamuru, Sandie Ha, Dean Schillinger & A. Susana Ramírez. (2022) Protocol: Effectiveness of message content and format on individual and collective efficacy in reducing the intention to consume sugar-sweetened beverages. Contemporary Clinical Trials 115, pages 106711.
Crossref
Juan-José Igartua & Iñigo Guerrero-Martín. (2022) Personal migrant stories as persuasive devices: Effects of audience–character similarity and narrative voice. Journal of Social and Political Psychology 10:1, pages 21-34.
Crossref
Zhen Xu, Tahir Islam, Xiaobei Liang, Naeem Akhtar & Mohsin Shahzad. (2021) ‘I'm like you, and I like what you like’ sustainable food purchase influenced by vloggers: A moderated serial-mediation model. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 63, pages 102737.
Crossref
Sining Kong & Yu-Hao Lee. (2021) How Perceived Similarity Moderates Sympathy and Pride Appeal in Organ Donation Messages. Transplantation Proceedings 53:7, pages 2105-2111.
Crossref
Bartosz G. Żerebecki, Suzanna J. Opree, Joep Hofhuis & Susanne Janssen. (2021) Can TV shows promote acceptance of sexual and ethnic minorities? A literature review of television effects on diversity attitudes. Sociology Compass 15:8.
Crossref
Tyler Milfeld & Daniel J. Flint. (2020) When brands take a stand: the nature of consumers’ polarized reactions to social narrative videos. Journal of Product & Brand Management 30:4, pages 532-548.
Crossref
Ymke de Bruijn, Rosanneke A. G. Emmen & Judi Mesman. (2020) Ethnic Diversity in Children’s Books in the Netherlands. Early Childhood Education Journal 49:3, pages 413-423.
Crossref
Iñigo Guerrero-Martín & Juan-José Igartua. (2021) Reduction of prejudice toward unaccompanied foreign minors through audiovisual narratives. Effects of the similarity and of the narrative voice. El profesional de la información.
Crossref
Keyvan Sarkhosh & Winfried Menninghaus. (2021) The Feel-Good Film. Projections 15:1, pages 55-77.
Crossref
Evava S. Pietri, India R. Johnson, Sana Majid & Charles Chu. (2020) Seeing What’s Possible: Videos are more Effective than Written Portrayals for Enhancing the Relatability of Scientists and Promoting Black Female Students’ Interest in STEM. Sex Roles 84:1-2, pages 14-33.
Crossref
Myfanwy King, Tim Marsh & Zeynep Akcay. 2021. Serious Games. Serious Games 153 166 .
Hyunmin Lee & Mi Rosie Jahng. (2020) The Role of Storytelling in Crisis Communication: A Test of Crisis Severity, Crisis Responsibility, and Organizational Trust. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 97:4, pages 981-1002.
Crossref
Nurit Tal-Or. (2019) The Effect of Ethnicity and Number of Co-Viewers on Affective and Cognitive Identification With Media Characters. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 97:3, pages 663-682.
Crossref
Francesca Polletta & Nathan Redman. (2020) When do stories change our minds? Narrative persuasion about social problems. Sociology Compass 14:4.
Crossref
Dana Weimann-Saks, Yaron Ariel & Vered Elishar-Malka. (2019) Social Second Screen: WhatsApp and Watching the World Cup. Communication & Sport 8:1, pages 123-141.
Crossref
Anežka Kuzmičová & Katalin Bálint. (2019) Personal Relevance in Story Reading. Poetics Today 40:3, pages 429-451.
Crossref
Minji Kim. (2019) When Similarity Strikes Back: Conditional Persuasive Effects of Character-Audience Similarity in Anti-Smoking Campaign. Human Communication Research 45:1, pages 52-77.
Crossref
Jonathan Cohen & Michal Hershman-Shitrit. (2017) Mediated relationships with TV characters. Scientific Study of Literature 7:1, pages 109-128.
Crossref
Jonathan Cohen & Nurit Tal-Or. 2017. Narrative Absorption. Narrative Absorption 133 153 .
Juan-José Igartua, Magdalena Wojcieszak, Diego Cachón-Ramón & Iñigo Guerrero-Martín. (2017) “Si te engancha, compártela en redes sociales”. Efectos conjuntos de la similitud con el protagonista y el contacto imaginado en la intención de compartir una narración corta a favor de la inmigración. Revista Latina de Comunicación Social:72, pages 1085-1106.
Crossref

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Order Reprints Request Corporate Permissions

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

Request Academic Permissions

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.

Related research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.