Reactance Theory Study Guide: Key Concepts and Examples for Students

📚 Quick Study Guide: Reactance Theory

• 💡 Definition: Psychological reactance is an unpleasant motivational arousal (a drive state) created when a person's freedom is threatened or eliminated. Proposed by Jack Brehm in 1966.
• 🎯 Core Principle: Individuals are motivated to restore any freedom they perceive as being threatened or taken away.
• 🔑 Key Concepts:
  • 🗣️ Perceived Threat to Freedom: The feeling that one's ability to choose or act is being restricted.
  • 🚀 Motivation to Restore Freedom: The drive to re-establish the threatened freedom.
  • ⚖️ Importance of Freedom: The more crucial a freedom is to an individual, the stronger the reactance.
  • 📏 Magnitude of Threat: The severity of the restriction influences the strength of reactance.
  • 📜 Legitimacy of Threat: Whether the restriction is seen as valid or arbitrary.
• 🔄 Manifestations of Reactance:
  • 🚫 Direct Restoration: Engaging in the forbidden behavior (e.g., doing exactly what was prohibited).
  • ↩️ Indirect Restoration: Engaging in a behavior similar to the forbidden one, or asserting freedom in another area.
  • 💥 Boomerang Effect: Doing the opposite of what was intended by the restriction.
  • 📈 Subjective Value Increase: The forbidden option becomes more attractive or desirable.
• 🌍 Real-World Examples:
  • ⛔ "Do Not Touch" Signs: Often increase the desire to touch the object.
  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parental Prohibitions: Teenagers might engage in forbidden activities more intensely.
  • 🛒 Marketing Tactics: "Limited time offers" or "while supplies last" can reduce perceived freedom, but overly aggressive tactics can backfire.
• 🛠️ Applications: Understanding reactance is crucial in fields like marketing, public health campaigns, parenting, and politics to avoid unintended resistance.

🧠 Practice Quiz

Choose the best answer for each question.

1. What is the core principle of psychological reactance theory?

   A) People desire social conformity.
   B) Individuals are motivated to restore threatened freedoms.
   C) Cognitive dissonance drives behavioral change.
   D) Rewards increase intrinsic motivation.

2. Who is primarily associated with the development of psychological reactance theory?

   A) Leon Festinger
   B) B.F. Skinner
   C) Jack Brehm
   D) Albert Bandura

3. Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the "boomerang effect" of reactance?

   A) A child happily complies with a request after being offered a reward.
   B) A person ignores a strict "No Smoking" sign and lights up anyway.
   C) A student studies harder after receiving positive feedback.
   D) A consumer buys a product endorsed by a celebrity.

4. According to reactance theory, what makes a freedom more likely to be reacted against if threatened?

   A) Its novelty.
   B) Its perceived legitimacy.
   C) Its importance to the individual.
   D) Its ease of restoration.

5. A public health campaign strongly mandates mask-wearing, leading some individuals to refuse more vehemently than before. This is an example of:

   A) Social learning theory.
   B) Observational learning.
   C) Psychological reactance.
   D) Cognitive appraisal.

6. Which of these is NOT a typical response when an individual experiences psychological reactance?

   A) Direct restoration of freedom.
   B) Indirect restoration of freedom.
   C) Increased conformity to the threatened freedom.
   D) Increased attractiveness of the forbidden option.

7. Reactance theory suggests that overly forceful or manipulative attempts to persuade can often lead to:

   A) Greater compliance.
   B) Reduced perceived choice.
   C) Resistance and the opposite behavior.
   D) Enhanced understanding of the message.