Protection Motivation Theory

What is protection motivation theory?

Protection motivation theory (PMT), developed by R. W. Rogers, explains protective motivation in terms of how people evaluate threats and possible responses. It concerns perceived danger as well as whether protection seems effective and achievable.

Threat appraisal and coping appraisal

Threat appraisal concerns how severe and personally relevant the danger seems, alongside the rewards of the risky response. Coping appraisal concerns whether a protective response will work, whether the person can perform it, and what it will cost.

A meta-analysis by Floyd, Prentice-Dunn and Rogers (2000) examines perceived severity, vulnerability, response efficacy and self-efficacy. The analysis also includes the rewards associated with a risky response and the costs of taking protective action.

Protection motivation theory in health communication

For example, a message about sun protection can raise several different questions: how serious is the risk, will the recommended action help, and can the person realistically do it? Naming those questions does not guarantee that the message changes behavior.

Across the reviewed studies, stronger threat and efficacy beliefs, lower rewards for the risky response, and lower costs of protective action were associated with greater protective intentions or behavior. Intentions and actual behavior are different outcomes.