Mapping & Measuring
Psychological Reactance
We are a research group supported by the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (bidt) that focuses on the dynamics of resistance in digital communication. Our work focuses on how situational reactance influences discussions on complex societal challenges, known as ‚wicked problems‘. We invite you to explore our new multifactorial state reactance scale, our Reactance Process Model, and our codebook that measures resistance to perceived restrictions of freedom in text. Get in touch with us! Your feedback will be valuable in shaping more effective communication within digital public spaces.
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Delve into the literature around psychological reactance.
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“Simply put, people do not like being told what to do, how to act, or what to believe.”
Y. Ma et al., 2019, S. 73
A Working Definition
Psychological reactance theory (PRT) (Brehm, 1966) holds that individuals will resist any perceived limitations to their freedom or control, leading to non-compliance, avoidance, negative perceptions of the source of the restrictions, or even rebellion. Though originally a theory from social psychology, this intuitive claim led to increasing interest in PRT within social sciences – in particular communication sciences – where it became the go-to explanation for backlash behavior. However, PRT grows in attention in the discussion of wicked problems*.
*The term “wicked problems” was introduced by Rittel and Weber in 1973 to differentiate them from “tame problems,” which have straightforward cause-and-effect relationships eligible for traditional solutions.
Please reach out for questions, collaborations, and discussion.
We are elaborating our Website as we go. Soon, we’ll provide a draft of our Reactance Process Model, our new State Reactance Scale, our interactive Reactance Codebook, and a reactance self-testing („Trait Reactance“) here.