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Our Process

1. Understand her as a consumer In order to change the behavior of a woman choosing to purchase an abortion, we must understand her as a consumer. 2. Learn what drives her behavior. The driving force and motivation for behavior is emotion. 3. Use research to uncover her emotional needs.  Emotional research, an in-depth qualitative research method, helps us access the right side of the brain to know which emotional needs are fulfilled by the product or brand. We will also identify the hidden motivators and inhibitors affecting the decision-making process.  This research method asks respondents to close their eyes and view pictures in their mind of experiences they have had with the product. 4. Effectively reach her by addressing her needs. Use the #ProWomanApproach to reach her and empower her to choose life. Good to know: Unlike emotional research, quantitative research methods (questionnaires, structured observations, experiments) shouldn’t be used as the first research method because they don’t determine what kind of brand language to use or what is important to people about the product. Quantitative research can be used to confirm the results and measure the intensity and frequency of each emotion.
Right Brain • The seat of emotion • Creativity • Motivation • Intuition • Recognizes pictures • Communicates using pictures • Houses long term memories Left Brain • The seat of logic and reasoning • Intelligence • Language • Analysis • Recognizes words • Communicates using words and language • Houses short term memories

Vitae’s Research Methodology

Vitae Foundation has invested millions into Emotional Research.

Right Brain Research, a type of Emotional Research, was developed by Dr. Charles Kenny, a consumer psychologist and founder of The Right Brain People®, as a methodology to uncover the emotional motivators that drive decision-making.

In the beginning, Dr. Kenny and his team were commissioned by Vitae to conduct research to reveal the psychological dynamics that motivate women to feel the way they do about abortion. This innovative approach to consumer messaging development has been used by over 600 of the world’s most successful corporations and organizations. In more recent years, Vitae commissioned professional researchers at Emotional ConteXt to add to this lifesaving work.

Over the past thirty years, in-depth interviews utilizing the Emotional Research methodology have been conducted with hundreds of participants around the country, including many women who experienced abortion first-hand. Through this, we’ve uncovered how to better communicate with people who may support abortion as a solution to an unexpected pregnancy and move them to a more life-affirming position. The result of this investment is invaluable and has led to a paradigm shift in the way pro-life organizations message their position, as they embraced Vitae’s research-based “Pro-Woman Approach.” 

View our Research