This project, supported by start-up funding from the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (*bidt), has successfully transitioned our collaboration into a formally integrated institutional initiative.
The funding has enabled us to dedicate time and resources, including a researcher’s position, allowing the project to expand and further develop.
Learn more about our team here:
Initial Goal
Our initial goal was to measure psychological reactance through questionnaires and written formats, and to share these findings with both academic and non-academic audiences.
This project marks a significant advancement in measuring state reactance, offering sate-of-the-art tools that were previously unavailable in this field of research.
Furthermore, it aids in improving communication strategies for complex challenges, often referred to as „Wicked Problems,“ by providing stakeholders such as authorities and researchers with effective methods to evaluate and refine their messaging.
The fuding enabled us to exceed our initial goals by providing a new perspective on reactance and present two new measurements for psychological reactance.
With five empirical studies (the final study is currently in progress), a multi-step codebook development process, experimental results, and various qualitative sub-projects, we have generated in-depth findings on psychological (state) reactance. We are currently preparing five publications for submission. Additionally, we have presented different aspects of our research in seven talks at national and international conferences.
Our reach has extended to the psychological research community, leading to an invitation to the annual conference of the German and Austrian Psychological Associations. Beyond these achievements, the project has laid the foundation for a new research agenda in postdoctoral projects, aiming for both theoretical and practical impacts in studying resistance and applying our findings.
Explore the Results
This project aimed to quantify state reactance, focusing particularly on online communication. It comprises three key work packages (APs). Further details, including timelines and specific steps, are available on the respective sub-pages.
Theoretical Model Developement
Building on a review of reactance research, our model shifts the narrative towards understanding reactance as an emotional elaboration process. By incorporating insights from appraisal theories, it redefines situational reactance as a multidimensional phenomenon.
Multistep Reactance Scale Development (AP1)
Leveraging the model as a blueprint, we developed a set of items that were incorporated into a five-study design. This design aimed to create and validate a scale for measuring state reactance. Our process included multiple pre-tests, an expert survey, and an analysis of the nomological network.
Analyzing Written Communication (AP2)
Following our theoretical framework, we developed an instrument to analyze state reactance in written communications. Initially, we created a codebook to identify and quantify the subdimensions of reactance within texts. Currently, we are in the process of validating this tool and are developing an automated text classifier designed to evaluate reactance levels in online comments.
Reactance Typology
We conducted a qualitative analysis using heuristic techniques throughout the research phases. This allowed us to map the digital landscape, effectively categorizing reactance comments and identifying distinct types of reactance behavior in written communication.
Normative Climate Communication & Reactance
We conducted several iterations of an experiment to refine our scale, analyzing public reactions to factual messages versus those crafted to induce normative pressure in discussions about climate change. Each iteration of the study has shown that emotional processes significantly affect reactance behaviors, which differ based on the content of the messages.
Providing a Space for Theory, Tools & Connection (AP3)
This website was created to make the theories, methods, and applications accessible to experts and the general public:
Click here for theory and measurement of state reactance or test your trait reactance here.
Get to know the team on this page.
