Also known as the “Boomerang Effect” or “Anti-compliance”.
When we feel our liberty is being constrained, our inclination is to resist, however in doing so we can over-compensate. While blind conformity is far from an ideal way to approach things, neither is being a knee-jerk contrarian.
Be careful not to lose objectivity when someone is being coercive/manipulative, or trying to force you do something. Wisdom springs from reflection, folly from reaction.
References
- Steindl C, Jonas E, Sittenthaler S, Traut-Mattausch E, Greenberg J. Understanding Psychological Reactance: New Developments and Findings. Z Psychol. 2015;223(4):205-214. doi: 10.1027/2151-2604/a000222. PMID: 27453805; PMCID: PMC4675534.
- Brehm, Sharon S. (1981). “Psychological reactance and the attractiveness of unobtainable objects: Sex differences in children’s responses to an elimination of freedom”. Sex Roles. 7 (9): 937–949. doi:10.1007/BF00290976. S2CID 144603360
- Silvia, Paul J. (2005). “Deflecting Reactance: The Role of Similarity in Increasing Compliance and Reducing Resistance”. Basic and Applied Social Psychology. 27 (3): 277–284. doi:10.1207/s15324834basp2703_9. S2CID 14554526
- Dahlgren, Peter M. (2021). “Forced vs. Selective Exposure: Threatening Messages Lead to Anger but Not Dislike of Political Opponents”. Journal of Media Psychology. doi:10.1027/1864-1105/a000302 (inactive 2022-04-16).
