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ПОСОБИЕ ПО АНГЛИЙСКОМУ ЯЗЫКУ ДЛЯ СТУДЕНТОВ ГУМАНИТАРНЫХ ВУЗОВ

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• Physiological needs. These are the constituents of self-preservation. They in­clude air, water, food, clothing, shelter, rest, and health — the minimum neces­sities of life.

• Safety needs. These comprise protection against danger, loss of life or property, restriction of activity, and loss of freedom.

• Social needs. These include acceptance by others, belonging to groups, and enjoying both friendship and love.

• Ego needs. These include self-esteem, self-confidence, accomplishment, status, recognition, appreciation, and the respect of others.

• Self-fulfillment needs. These represent the need to grow to one's full stature — simply as a human being or in terms of some special talent, gift, or interest.

Effective messages carry components of these needs from the standpoint of help­ing people achieve them in some way. In sum we're talking about the self-interest of the audience. Indeed, if you can keep in mind the self-interest of your target audiences when formulating messages, you will be an effective communicator.

Most public relations activity is aimed at lower-level needs because people are generally more concerned about their families, jobs, and homes than they are about more abstract goals. Economics may get most of the attention, but don't forget that there are many people who do have noneconomic interests.

Applying Theory to Practice

Understanding the concepts of opinion formation, the process of information diffu­sion, and the psychological needs of audiences has a great deal of practical application for the public relations writer.

The diffusion model, for example points out that mass and direct media are most important in the beginning stages of the process. Although the writer's goal is ultimate­ly to change attitudes and behavior, this is difficult to accomplish unless the audience (1) is highly interested in the message, (2) is predisposed to accept it, and (3) receives reinforcement of the message through their opinion leaders and peer groups.

Consequently, most writers are realistic enough to have the limited objectives of message exposure and accurate dissemination of the message, which coincide with the interest and awareness stages of the diffusion model.

□ Words and word-combinations

1. hierarchy-of-needs theory — теория приоритетных потребностей

2. basic human needs — основные потребности человека

3. to grow to one's full stature — вырасти

4. peer groups — группы ровесников

EXERCISES

1. Look up the pronunciation of the following words:

leisure, hierarchy, discipline, physiological, ego, stature, peer.