Threats and Promises
 
Threats defined
A threat is the expression of an intention to inflict harm, evil, or injury (physical or psychological) on another  person or party.  A threat is a symbolic act.  The threat is a prediction or forecast; the actual act of carrying out the threat is not the threat.
 
Determinants of compliance with threat
1. Appropriateness of the threat (credibility).
     a. The magnitude or size of the threat.
     b. The type of the threat.
     c. The form of the threat.
2. The impact on the threatener.
3. The probability that the threat will be carried out; certainty of execution.
4. The agent of execution; personal control over the execution.  In contrast to threats, WARNINGS predict harmful outcomes over which the person stating the warning has no real control.
 
Promises
Thomas Schelling (Strategy of Conflict) defines "promise" as a "contingency reward."  Promises and threats are fundamentally different sides of the same coin.
 
1. Promises cut maneuverability, whereas threats do not.
2. Effective promises require some sort of commitment.
    a. subject self to a higher authority, e.g., "I promise under God," contract law.
    b. evoke one's good name/reputation: "my word is my bond."
3. The person making the promise opens self to punishment from some other source.