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Revision as of 19:18, 10 February 2006 by Sam Spade (talk | contribs) (overhaul)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)'Reactance is an action in direct contridiction to rules and regulation; it can occur when someone is heavily pressured to accept a certain view or attitude. Reactance can cause the person to adopt or strengthen a view or attitude that is contrary to what was intended and also increases resistance to persuasion. A mild example could be a boy being all the more interested in a girl playing "hard to get", or teenagers drinking to excess in an environment of prohibition when they would not do so in a more liberal culture.
The essense of reactance is rebellion.
References
- Baron, Robert A., et al. Social Psychology, p152, Pearson, 2006. ISBN 0205444121
- Brehm, Sharon S., & Brehm, Jack W. Psychological Reactance: A Theory of Freedom and Control, Academic Press, 1981. ISBN 012129840X
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