Stealing Thunder

Definition

Stealing thunder is a social influence tactic in which in anticipation of negative information being revealed about a person, that person chooses to reveal it first. By doing so, the negative impact is reduced or, in some cases, eliminated. An individual's representative can also steal thunder with similar consequences, as in the case of an attorney who steals thunder by revealing the worst bit of evidence before the opposing counsel brings it out.

Courtrooms provide the best example of the use of stealing thunder. Defense attorneys may reveal incriminating evidence about their clients, for instance that they had a prior conviction, before prosecuting attorneys can reveal it. The defense attorney might use the stealing thunder technique to minimize the damage caused by incriminating evidence against his or her client.

Evidence

Based on naive theories and research, beginning an interaction by revealing damaging information about one's self would seem to backfire by creating a negative first impression that would negatively bias future information and impressions. In many circumstances, the fact that the negative information is revealed again (as in the case of a courtroom trial) by someone else would also increase the salience of the information. Nevertheless, research has demonstrated that stealing thunder can be quite effective. In mock trial studies, researchers have found that both the defense (in a criminal trial) and plaintiffs (in a civil trial) can benefit by stealing thunder. Legal experts suggest that the reason that stealing thunder is potentially effective is that the attorney who reveals it first can put a positive spin on the negative information.

In addition to showing the effectiveness of stealing thunder in courtroom settings, research has also found positive benefits in a political domain. Voters (or mock voters) are more likely to indicate a willingness to vote for a candidate who reveals a transgression himself or herself, than they are if an adversary [Page 939](or the media) reveals the same information. News editors also indicate less interest in pursuing the story when candidates reveal the information.

Reasons for Effectiveness

Recent research suggests several reasons stealing thunder might work. One is that the revealer appears to be credible, and thus, likeable. Another is that because the negative self-revelation is so unexpected, message recipients force the meaning of the information to be less damaging. Another reason is that stealing thunder allows the revealer to cast the information in a favorable light, but the available research suggests that putting a positive spin on the information is not necessary for the effect to emerge. Still another reason that stealing thunder may work is that by making the information more public and common, less attention and value are placed on it. When people perceive information to be scarce or secret, they think it is more valuable. Stealing thunder diminishes the perception that the information is scarce.

Limitations

The question still remains, when will stealing thunder work and not work? Do factors such as the timing of stealing thunder, the seriousness of the thunder information, and the use of compelling spin moderate the effects? In a courtroom context, the existing research suggests that the timing of stealing thunder does not seem to affect how well thunder stealing works. Damaging information presented by the defendant's lawyer earlier or later in the case did not reduce the benefits of stealing thunder. Nor did it matter if the opposing counsel chose not to reveal the negative information after all. However, acknowledging incriminating evidence after it has been disclosed does not reduce the impact of negative information.

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