What is psychological reactance in social psychology?
Reactance is an unpleasant motivational arousal that emerges when people experience a threat to or loss of their free behaviors. It serves as a motivator to restore one’s freedom. The amount of reactance depends on the importance of the threatened freedom and the perceived magnitude of the threat.
What is reactance in psychology example?
Reactance sometimes occurs when a person makes a choice that cuts off other choices. For example, Charlie gets a certain amount of lunch money every day at school and can choose what he wants, but he can’t have it all.
What is social reactance theory?
Reactance theory is a social psychological theory developed by Jack Brehm (Brehm 1966, 1972; Brehm, Stires, Sensenig and Shaban 1966; Hammock and Brehm 1966). The theory is concerned with how individuals react when their freedom to choose is restricted.
What is the reactance theory?
a model stating that in response to a perceived threat to—or loss of—a behavioral freedom, a person will experience psychological reactance (or, more simply, reactance), a motivational state characterized by distress, anxiety, resistance, and the desire to restore that freedom.
What is the best example of social reactance theory?
According to reactance theory, when parents forbid teenagers to attend the party, the teenagers will engage in behaviors that they think will increase their chances of regaining their options.
How do you deal with psychological reactance?
Instead of flaking on commitments because of a knee-jerk feeling, you can change your perspective on the situation. Here’s a trick: To disarm psychological reactance, change the way you talk to yourself. Instead of thinking you “have to” do something, tell yourself you “get to” or even “deserve to” do it.
What is reactance in social influence?
Reactance occurs when a person feels that someone or something is taking away their choices or limiting the range of alternatives. People using reverse psychology are playing on reactance, attempting to influence someone to choose the opposite of what they request.
How does psychological reactance work?
Reactance is an unpleasant motivational arousal (reaction) to offers, persons, rules, or regulations that threaten or eliminate specific behavioral freedoms. Reactance occurs when a person feels that someone or something is taking away their choices or limiting the range of alternatives.
How do you manage psychological reactance?
Having a feeling of choice can reduce the sense that our freedoms are being taken away from us. Combine autonomy with certainty (above) by communicating the certitude of inevitable action while seeking out other areas where you can give back control. Being playful with your language has been shown to reduce reactance.
How does reactance influence message persuasiveness?
In the context of persuasive messaging, research shows that individuals exhibiting high trait reactance experience greater freedom threats, and therefore are more resistant to persuasive attempts (Quick and Stephenson, 2008; Quick et al., 2011; LaVoie et al., 2017).
What causes reactance?
Inductive reactance is caused by devices in which wire is wound circularly — such as coils (including line reactors), chokes, and transformers. Reactance that occurs in a capacitor is known as capacitive reactance.
What is psychological reactance in persuasion?
Reactance is an unpleasant motivational arousal (reaction) to offers, persons, rules, or regulations that threaten or eliminate specific behavioral freedoms. Reactance can cause the person to adopt or strengthen a view or attitude that is contrary to what was intended, and also increases resistance to persuasion.
When does psychological reactance occur in a person?
Psychological reactance occurs in response to threats to perceived behavioral freedoms . One’s freedom to select when and how to conduct one’s behavior, and the level one is aware of the relevant freedom — and is able to determine behaviors necessary to satisfy that freedom — affects the generation of psychological reactance.
Why is reactance considered a counterforce in psychology?
Because this motivational state is a result of the perceived reduction of one’s freedom of action, it is considered a counterforce, and thus is called “psychological reactance”. There are four important elements to reactance theory: perceived freedom, threat to freedom, reactance, and restoration of freedom.
When do you use reactance in reverse psychology?
Reactance can occur when someone is heavily pressured to accept a certain view or attitude. Reactance can cause the person to adopt or strengthen a view or attitude that is contrary to what was intended, and also increases resistance to persuasion. People using reverse psychology are playing on reactance,…
Why is it important to understand reactance theory?
Reactance theory highlights the simple, but important, fact that people value their freedom: When this freedom of behavior and choice is threatened, people will engage in motivated behavior, designed to take steps that will reassert and regain that freedom.