The Purpose of a Buffer Statement in a Negative Message

question 111

Multiple Choice

The purpose of a buffer statement in a negative message is to ________.

• A)ensure that the company avoids legal liability.
• B)reduce the reader's shock or pain related to the bad news.
• C)inform the reader of the reasons for the bad news.
• D)explain company policy regarding the bad-news message.

---

Definitions:

Frustration-Aggression Principle

A psychological theory suggesting that frustration often leads to aggressive behavior as the individual seeks to eliminate the source of their frustration.

Scapegoat Theory

A social psychology concept that explains the tendency to blame someone else for one's own problems, often leading to feelings of prejudice against the person or group that one is blaming.

Just-World Phenomenon

The cognitive bias that a person's actions are inherently inclined to bring morally fair and fitting consequences to that person, to the end of all noble actions being eventually rewarded and all evil actions punished.

Attribution Theory

A psychological theory that seeks to explain how individuals infer the causes of their own and others' behavior, attributing them to internal dispositions or external situations.