th of these factors inhibit attitude change because a massive reorientation in personality would be required in order to overcome their effects.
It is widely known that the best way to change a person's attitude on an issue is to appeal to the emotions. Dichter indicates this by claiming: "Identification, empathy, and shared emotions are the keys to persuasiveness in almost every field" (Dichter 32). However, dogmatic people show a great deal of resistance to emotional appeals. The emotional commitment that dogmatics have to their own opinions makes it very difficult for others to persuade them to change their minds. Studies have shown that dogmatic people have a strong tendency to reject the dissenting opinions of others. Palmer and Kalin, for example, reported a study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology which provided evidence in support of this claim. Palmer and Kalin conducted research with groups of people who ranked both high and low on dogmatism scales. In their study, the researchers tested the extent to which dogmatic people agreed or disagreed with the opinions of a "bogus stranger." It was found that highly dogmatic people tended to disagree more often with the opinions of the "stranger" than did people who ranked low on the dogmatism scale. In the words of Palmer and Kalin: "Results show a positive relation between dogmatism and rejection of a disagreeing other" (Palmer and Kalin 171). The researchers also noted that the highly dogmatic people were usually quick in rejec
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