Witte EPPM — fear appeals MOTIVATE only when paired with efficacy

Claim: Witte's Extended Parallel Process Model and Witte & Allen (2000) meta-analysis:

• High threat + high efficacy → adaptive "danger control" (action).
• High threat + LOW efficacy → maladaptive "fear control" (denial, defensive avoidance, fatalism, reactance).
• Under low efficacy, increasing threat trends NEGATIVE.

Source: Witte, Witte & Allen 2000 meta-analysis. Foundational.

Confidence: Verified.

Why this matters for Candid: The widget MUST always pair a difficulty result with a clear feasible first step. For High/Very High tiers, lead with the PATH, not the threat. A "you're behind" verdict with no path produces fatalism, not action.