Facts about Psychological Reactance
- 05
Reactance magnitude is influenced by the proportion of freedoms threatened, meaning eliminating many freedoms at once produces stronger reactance than threatening just one.
- 04
In experimental research, psychological reactance has been studied by measuring both its cognitive component (negative cognitions) and its emotional component (anger).
- 03
The theory predicts that people experience reactance more strongly when higher-order freedoms, such as those tied to personal identity, are threatened.
- 02
A common real-world manifestation of psychological reactance is the boomerang effect, where persuasive messages cause people to adopt the opposite of the intended attitude.
- 01
Brehm introduced psychological reactance in 1966 as a motivational state arising when people perceive their behavioral freedoms as threatened or eliminated.