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An appeal to fear (also called argumentum ad metum or argumentum in terrorem) is a fallacy in which a person attempts to create support for an idea by attempting to increase fear towards an alternative. An appeal to fear is related to the broader strategy of fear appeal and is a common tactic in marketing, politics, and media (communication).[1][2]
- ^ "Full alphabetic list of Fallacies". Retrieved 17 June 2015.
- ^ Tannenbaum, Melanie B.; Hepler, Justin; Zimmerman, Rick S.; Saul, Lindsey; Jacobs, Samantha; Wilson, Kristina; Albarracín, Dolores (November 2015). "Appealing to fear: A meta-analysis of fear appeal effectiveness and theories". Psychological Bulletin. 141 (6): 1178–1204. doi:10.1037/a0039729. PMC 5789790.