Reactance

Definition

Broadly, reactance refers to the idea that people become upset when their freedom is threatened or eliminated, so much so that they attempt to reassert their lost freedom. The theory is relevant to the idea that humans are motivated to possess and preserve as many options and choices as possible. When people's options are restricted, they experience aversive emotional consequences. Reactance is very similar to a layperson's idea of reverse psychology: Humans will tend to do the opposite of what they are told to. Being ordered to do something by an external person or source implies that someone is trying to reduce one's freedom. Reactance also refers to the idea that people will want something more if they are told they cannot have it. As a result, humans may act in a manner that will oppose a resistance presented to their freedom.

Background and History

Psychological reactance theory was first proposed by the social psychologist Jack Brehm in 1966. Reactance theory is still considered to be one of the basic psychological theories; it has withstood decades of testing and can be applied to many aspects of human behavior.

Reactance theory is important because it highlights people's need for control, freedom of action and choice, as well as people's desire to preserve as many [Page 724]options as possible. Indeed, the theory was devised during a decade when people were constantly advocating and rallying about freedom of choice and action. Brehm observed that humans react strongly to having options taking away by external forces; they become quite upset and will take action to preserve or regain their lost options.

Many psychologists have noted that humans have a very strong aversion to loss, both in options and choices. Essentially, humans value freedom greatly. They like having options so much that they will incur costs to their own self just to maintain options, even if the options they keep open aren't that important or profitable. Think about what would happen if you woke up one day and heard on the news that you no longer have the right to vote; most likely you would become very upset—people value the ability to vote in a democratic society. Though this may seem like an extreme example, even people who do not exercise the right to vote would be upset. Indeed, many people would immediately revolt because someone else is trying to infringe on one of their basic freedoms.

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. In the former example, citizens will rally, petition, they may even become aggressive, if necessary, to try and regain freedom or options they feel are jeopardized.

A subtler example can be demonstrated by one of the original studies on reactance. Participants were asked to rate a series of records and then list the three they desired the most. Importantly, participants were promised that they could keep one of the records. After ranking their top three choices, participants were told that their third choice was unavailable. The researchers found that when participants were asked to rate the records again, the choice that was no longer available (their third choice) would then be rated as more attractive than it originally was. Simply because the option was no longer available, people actually valued it more.

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