Psychological Reactance Research Articles

Entrepreneurial alertness and new firm performance: a moderated mediation model

Purpose Supported by the literature on dynamic capabilities, this study aims to propose a moderated mediation model to examine how entrepreneurial alertness advances new firm performance by identifying strategic flexibility as a pivotal mediator and absorptive capacity as a crucial contingency. Design/methodology/approach This paper collects data from 137 new firms regarding activities that were considered essential during the COVID-19 contingency in Mexico. The hypotheses are tested using hierarchical multiple regression analysis, complemented with the bootstrapping approach to confirm the indirect and conditional effects of entrepreneurial alertness on firm performance through strategic flexibility. Findings The results yielded general support for the study hypotheses, suggesting that entrepreneurs’ alertness facilitates the firms’ ability to respond to changes in their context, namely, strategic flexibility; strategic flexibility enables firms make useful changes, leading to better performance; entrepreneurial alertness indirectly affects new firm performance through strategic flexibility; absorptive capacity has a positive moderating impact on the entrepreneurial alertness-strategic flexibility relationship; and the positive influence of entrepreneurial alertness on strategic flexibility and ultimately new firm performance was increased in high rather than in low absorptive capacity. Practical implications This study highlights that entrepreneurs’ cognitive mechanisms shape the behaviour of their firms through strategic decisions. This paper studies the influence of entrepreneurs’ alertness on strategic flexibility, examines the interplay between entrepreneurial alertness and environmental conditions via absorptive capacity and proposes a moderated mediation model to understand the effect of entrepreneurs’ alertness on strategic flexibility and new firm performance. Originality/value The study investigates the influence of assertive message framing and individual value orientations on the reactance process in the context of environmentally friendly mobility. It finds individual value orientations to be a significant factor in the reactance process, further extending the psychological reactance theory. Moreover, it revalidates reactance as a construct consisting of anger and negative cognition.

How Perceived Child-Friendly Communities Alleviate Adolescents' Psychological Reactance.

When children enter adolescence, their personality traits easily give rise to psychological reactance (PR). PR involves a desire for autonomy and independence, as well as an aversion to parental and social rules and restrictions. Factors that influence PR include physiological, familial, and social aspects. However, most studies on adolescent noncompliance have primarily focused on rebellious behavior. Little research has examined motivational state reactance, although its interaction with environmental perception can significantly affect adolescents' lives. This study aimed to explore the relationship between the perceived friendliness of the community environment and cognitive processing at different quality of life (QoL) levels in relation to PR among adolescents. Propensity score matching was performed on a sample of 3546 adolescents, collected in Sanya, China. The results show that child-friendly communities (CFCs) had a significantly negative impact on adolescents' PR levels. Additionally, QoL had a moderating effect, meaning that the higher the QoL, the stronger the role of a CFC in alleviating PR. In contrast to claims that PR is determined by temperament or character profiles, this study reveals the importance of environmental shaping through triadic reciprocal determinism and a focus on the key role of the community environment.

Revisiting psychological reactance theory: relationship between psychological reactance and health-related attitudes/behaviors in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Revisiting psychological reactance theory: relationship between psychological reactance and health-related attitudes/behaviors in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Examining factors that hinder the efficacy of responsible gambling messages: modeling predictors and effects of responsible gambling message fatigue

ABSTRACT Message fatigue is an aversive psychological state that is characterized as feelings of boredom resulting from repeated exposure to messages promoting the same health behavior. Because responsible gambling messages are widely distributed, it is possible that feelings of fatigue could reduce their efficacy. This cross-sectional study of N = 822 U.S. adults recruited from an online panel (i.e. Amazon’s Mechanical Turk) explores potential predictors of fatigue and examines the effects of fatigue on gambling related outcomes through reactance and inattention using a structural equation modeling approach. The results indicated that industry employment history, problem gambling status, and gambling frequency emerged as significant predictors of fatigue. Fatigue was significantly associated with participants’ psychological reactance and inattention to responsible gambling messages. Both reactance and inattention were associated with participants’ gambling intentions and intentions to share responsible gambling messages with others. Responsible gambling messages could be improved by using strategies that can help to mitigate feelings of fatigue.

User-resistance behaviours toward electronic health records: uncovering the determinants of perceived threats

ABSTRACT This study uncovers the determinants of perceived threats that have long been associated with resistance to healthcare information technology in general, and electronic health records in particular. Conceptualised as perceived dissatisfaction with outcomes and perceived helplessness over process, these threats are discussed from the perspective of the Psychological Reactance Theory. Study participants consisting of a diverse group of healthcare professionals were drawn from sample frame of health practices. Data from a sample of 217 participants were used to test the model. Using structural equation modeling, the model relationships were analyzed, and hypotheses were tested. The study results show that perceived threats to electronic health records are triggered by two types of factors: namely, intrinsic stimuli like self-efficacy and performance expectancy; and extrinsic causes such as social enabling effect and social influence. The implications of these findings are particularly useful to both research and practice. Managers and informaticians in both healthcare and non-healthcare settings will find the results both instructive and helpful in mitigating resistance. Theorists will be enriched by the insights from the antecedents of perceived threats to advance research.

Nursing Education in the Era of Generative Artificial Intelligence: Are We Ready?

Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) has taken the world by storm, causing notable tension within the field of education. Nursing education is no exception, facing imminent challenges and opportunities. GAI, a unique and immensely powerful technology championed by ChatGPT (Chat generative pre-trained transformer), represents a new frontier in artificial intelligence. ChatGPT, a product of deep learning - a subset of machine learning that mirrors the human brain's approach to learning and responding to data, information, and prompts - exemplifies this technological leap (Sahoo et al., 2022). GAI stands out for its ability not only to provide responses but also to generate the content of those responses, surpassing the human-like interactions typically seen in conversational AI (Lim et al., 2023; Su & Yang, 2023). Currently, ChatGPT has demonstrated significant application potential in nursing education in various aspects. For example, ChatGPT provides personalized learning (Tam et al., 2023); is easy to use (Vaughn et al., 2024); provides rapid information (Goktas et al., 2024; Liu et al., 2023), rapid responses, and assistance in writing (Sun & Hoelscher, 2023); improves students' problem-solving and critical thinking skills (Goktas et al., 2024; Sun & Hoelscher, 2023); supports educators in developing curricula and preparing course materials and may be used in translation processes (Tam et al., 2023); and helps healthcare professionals better understand complex medical concepts and procedures by providing easily comprehensible and up-to-date information (Krüger et al., 2023). Therefore, integrating ChatGPT into nursing education not only provides students with a more effective and interactive learning experience but also offers educators supportive tools that are directly applicable in teaching. These technologies can enhance / improve teaching by providing personalized learning solutions through, for example, generating teaching cases and simulating clinical scenarios to enhance the learning experience of students (Liu et al., 2023; Vaughn et al., 2024). Despite the significant benefits realized, nursing education in the era of GAI also faces challenges and limitations. Over-reliance on ChatGPT may limit students' critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovation capabilities, leading to a lack of independent thought. Educators should integrate GAI-supported tools into the learning process, but encourage and guide students to use ChatGPT as a supplementary learning tool rather than a substitute (Tam et al., 2023). This approach will help ensure students develop the skills and knowledge necessary to use the technology responsibly and ethically and allow educators to better address key related challenges, enhance education quality, and lay a foundation for cultivating high-quality nursing professionals. GAI is inevitable, and banning it may lead to increased attention and psychological reactance, making students more eager to access this technology. Therefore, educational institutions should embrace rather than shun its use (Lim et al., 2023). It is hoped that readers, after reading this special column, will be inspired to learn more about GAI applications and their significance and thus come to view GAI as a driving force for educational transformation, ensuring the continuous development of education and safeguarding the future of education and, by extension, the society of tomorrow.

Response to Advertising Delivered by Voice Assistants: The Mediating Role of Persuasion Knowledge, Perceived Control, Social Presence, and Privacy Concerns

More than 40% of Americans used a voice assistant (VA) this year to aid them with a host of tasks, including purchasing nearly $20B in products and services. Voice-assisted advertising is forecasted to grow exponentially over the next decade, but research examining how various promotional messages delivered by a VA impact consumers’ attitudes and purchase behaviors is limited. Guided by the computers are social actors paradigm and integrating tenets from the persuasion knowledge model, social presence theory, and psychological reactance theory, this experimental study examines how VA users’ privacy concerns, situational persuasion knowledge, and perceived control of the interaction along with the social presence of the VA work in concert to influence VA users’ purchase intentions when presented with personalized promotional messaging in response to their requests. Findings across shopping list and search query contexts and between brand-integrated responses and responses that incorporated a traditional commercial indicate that situational persuasion knowledge and a sense of the VA’s social presence combined to positively mediate a promotional message’s ability to incite purchase intentions. However, perceived control and social presence combined to negatively mediate a promotional message’s influence on purchase intentions. Theoretical and practical implications for researchers and advertisers are discussed in detail.

The Role of Choice and Descriptive Norms in Attenuating Reactance to BPA Risk Messages: A Conceptual Replication

ABSTRACT The current study examined behavioral recommendations to reduce Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure through the lens of psychological reactance theory. This study conceptually replicated previous work by [Reynolds-Tylus, T., Martinez Gonzalez, A., & Quick, B. L. (2019). The role of choice clustering and descriptive norms in attenuating psychological reactance to water and energy conservation messages. Environmental Communication, 13(7), 847–863. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2018.1461672)] by examining two antecedents to psychological reactance: choice and descriptive norms. Participants (N = 607) were randomly assigned to one of five message conditions in a 2 (choice: choice, no choice) X 2 (descriptive norm: high vs. low) factorial design with a no message control. Results indicated that messages providing choice (vs. no choice) within a cluster of environmental health behaviors decreased freedom threat perceptions. As expected, reactance was negatively associated with intention to reduce BPA exposure. Descriptive norm (high vs. low) was unrelated to freedom threat but indirectly influenced behavioral intention to reduce BPA exposure as mediated through perceived descriptive norm. Our results speak to the importance of replication in communication research and provide evidence-based message design advice for environmental health campaigns. Findings are discussed in terms of the theoretical and practical contributions of the current study.

Psilocybin legalization in the United States and psychological reactance: A test of evidence uncertainty, controlling language, and an ambiguous call to action.

Psilocybin legalization in the United States and psychological reactance: A test of evidence uncertainty, controlling language, and an ambiguous call to action.

Using Psychological Reactance and Bandwagon Cues to Explain High School Sports Coaches’ Resistance to Concussion Communication Policies

Sport-related concussions (SRC) are a significant health risk for athletes amalgamated by issues with underreporting. Coaches play a pivotal role in promoting safety and health, but coach-player SRC communication efforts have been insufficient at improving players’ reporting behaviors. This study considers coaches’ responses to a proposed mandate to engage in SRC communication with athletes via psychological reactance theory (PRT), with bandwagoning cues positioned as a form of social proof that heightens or mitigates persuasion. Two hundred five coaches from 20 distinct sports were exposed to one of four messages addressing a proposed SRC management policy mandating biweekly coach-player communication about SRCs. The message variations incorporated different bandwagon cues (positive, negative, absent, mixed), manipulated through user comments and emoji reactions on a simulated social media environment. Results demonstrate direct and mediated relationships between exposure to negative bandwagon cues, bandwagon perceptions, freedom threat, reactance, and opposition intentions. Our findings provide valuable insights into the dynamics of coaches’ attitudes towards SRC communication in a social media context, bridging gaps in the literature and introducing PRT to the SRC domain.

How to avoid sinking in swamp: exploring the intentions of digitally disadvantaged groups to use a new public infrastructure that combines physical and virtual spaces

With advances in digital technology, physical and virtual spaces have gradually merged. For digitally disadvantaged groups, this transformation is both convenient and potentially supportive. Previous research on public infrastructure has been limited to improvements in physical facilities, and few researchers have investigated the use of mixed physical and virtual spaces. In this study, we focused on integrated virtual and physical spaces and investigated the factors affecting digitally disadvantaged groups’ intentions to use this new infrastructure. Building on a unified theory of the acceptance and use of technology, we focused on social interaction anxiety, identified the characteristics of digitally disadvantaged groups, and constructed a research model to examine intentions to use the new infrastructure. We obtained 337 valid data from the questionnaire and analysed them using partial least squares structural equation modelling. The results showed positive relationships between performance expectancy, perceived institutional support, perceived marketplace influence, effort expectancy, and facilitating conditions. The influence of psychological reactance was significantly negative. Finally, social interaction anxiety had a regulatory effect on performance expectancy, psychological reactance, perceived marketplace influence, and effort expectancy. Its effects on perceived institutional support and facilitating conditions were not significant. The results support the creation of inclusive smart cities by ensuring that the new public infrastructure is suitable for digitally disadvantaged groups. Meanwhile, this study presents new theoretical concepts of new public infrastructures, mixed physical and virtual spaces, which provides a forward-looking approach to studying digitally disadvantaged groups in this field and paves the way for subsequent scholars to explore the field in theory and literature.

Advertising in Freemium Services: Lack of Control and Intrusion as the Price Consumers Pay

Freemium services such as music streaming, video sharing, and mobile games are often supported using advertisements, whereby consumer attention to these advertisements can be considered a proxy form of payment for using the service. The current research develops and empirically tests a conceptual model underpinned by cognitive appraisal theory, examining the influence of control features within freemium services, such as offering consumers choice over when to view advertisements and timing prompts (countdowns indicating length of advertisement). This research considers the influence of these control features on perceived advertising intrusiveness and psychological reactance, as well as the impacts on the advertising outcomes of brand recognition and attitudes toward the advertisement, toward the freemium platform, and toward the brand advertised. Three experimental studies (n = 178, n = 123, n = 224) showed control features significantly decrease perceived advertising intrusiveness. Results revealed that when control features are not provided, there is a significant indirect negative effect on advertising outcomes (recognition and attitude) via the mediators of advertising intrusiveness and psychological reactance. This research is one of the first studies to demonstrate both theoretical and empirical understanding of how control provided to consumers via choice and timing prompts can mitigate the negative effects of advertising within freemium services.

The effects of fear appeals on reactance in climate change communication

Addressing the existential threat posed by climate change requires urgent actions, both on an individual level and on a policy level. In the present research, we applied an emotion-based persuasion appeal model to climate change mitigation to test the effect of climate mitigation appeals formulated with different levels of threat (high vs. low) and appealing to different types of climate change solutions (individual vs. policy) in eliciting psychological reactance, motivating support for climate change mitigation, and influencing willingness to discuss the issue with others. Through an online between-subjects experiment, we found that appealing to individuals (as opposed to policy) increased individuals' perceived threat to freedom, and psychological reactance. Our threat manipulation increased levels of fear, but the interaction between level of threat and type of appeal was not statistically significant on any of our dependent variables. Results are discussed in light of the active debate regarding the effectiveness of fear appeals in the climate change communication context.

Rebels for a reason: How psychological reactance is goal-directed.

Rebels for a reason: How psychological reactance is goal-directed.

How is parental psychological control associated with adolescent mental health in economically disadvantaged areas? The serial mediating role of psychological reactance and problematic smartphone use.

Adolescent mental health has been an issue of global concern, and the mental health of adolescents in economically disadvantaged areas may require additional research. The research delves into factors associated with economically disadvantaged areas' adolescent mental health, employing family systems theory, self-determination theory, and psychological reactance theory. Specifically, the present study which was done in Jingzhou country, an economically disadvantaged area of Hunan Province, China, aimed to examine the link between parental psychological control and adolescent mental health, as well as the mediating roles of psychological reactance and problematic smartphone use in this relationship. A sample of 1300 Chinese middle school students (620 girls, mean age = 14.22 ± 1.29) completed self-reported measures of parental psychological control, psychological reactance, problematic smartphone use, and adolescent mental health. Results showed that parental psychological control was negatively associated with adolescent mental health. Psychological reactance and problematic smartphone use mediated the association between parental psychological control and adolescent mental health, separately and serially. The findings of the present study enrich the literature on parenting styles and adolescent mental health in economically disadvantaged areas, and this provides an intervention perspective to reduce the negative impact of poor parenting on adolescent mental health in economically disadvantaged areas.

Can ‘Psychological Reactance’ be the Secret Sauce to Pro-Environmental Behaviours?

Can ‘Psychological Reactance’ be the Secret Sauce to Pro-Environmental Behaviours?

Exploring the Relationship Between Psychological Constructs and Decision-Making Preferences in Psychiatric Outpatients.

This study aimed to elucidate the relationships among health locus of control, psychological reactance, attitudes toward psychiatric treatment, and patient decision-making preferences within a psychiatric outpatient population. A total of 200 consecutive psychiatric outpatients from a community mental health center in Tenerife, Spain, were approached for participation between September 2023 and March 2024. Of these, 151 patients consented to participate in this cross-sectional study. Participants were selected based on their willingness to participate and were provided with informed consent forms. Data were collected using the Patient's Health Belief Questionnaire on Psychiatric Treatment (PHBQPT) and the Control Preferences Scale (CPS). The PHBQPT evaluates health beliefs impacting adherence to psychiatric treatment, while the CPS assesses the preferred level of involvement in medical decision-making. Sociodemographic data were also collected to contextualize the findings. Significant correlations were found between patients' control preferences and their attitudes towards medication, compliance with psychiatric advice, and perceptions of treatment control. A collaborative control preference was notably associated with positive attitudes toward medication and trust in the psychiatrist. These findings suggest that tailored treatment approaches prioritizing patient involvement could enhance adherence and outcomes. The study underscores the importance of considering psychological constructs in psychiatric care to foster a holistic, patient-centered approach. Recognizing and integrating patients' control preferences, attitudes towards medication, and psychological reactance can improve the therapeutic relationship and treatment adherence. Future research should explore longitudinal and interventional studies to further understand the impact of aligning treatment approaches with patient preferences and psychological profiles.

Exploring Intention & Reactance in Social Norm Interventions for Rail Business Travel

Abstract Shifting continental business travel from carbon-intensive modes to rail is crucial for emissions reduction. Behavioral interventions are a way to achieve this, but a gap exists in understanding their efficacy for sustainable business travel behavior. Based on online experiments with frequent business travelers, we scrutinize the impact of descriptive social norm interventions on mode choice intention, considering potentially negative employee reactions. While revealing factors influencing reactance and intention, contrary to expectations derived from the theory of planned behavior, behavioral interventions literature, and psychological reactance theory, our social norm treatments did not significantly impact mode choice intention and resulted in low reactance levels. Despite these unexpected results indicating that our interventions did not yield the desired changes, our study underscores the challenges of influencing sustainable business travel behavior and emphasizes the need for tailored interventions and incentives in practice, suggesting avenues for further research.

Exploring college students' resistance to mandatory use of sports apps: a psychological reactance theory perspective.

To improve the physical fitness of college students, numerous Chinese universities have mandated students to use sports apps for running on campus. However, this has led to widespread resistance among students. To gain a deep understanding of the potential reasons for student resistance, we have developed a conceptual model based on psychological reactance theory. Specifically, we conducted a questionnaire survey involving 449 Chinese college students, using partial least squares structural equation modeling to test and analyze the research model and its related hypotheses. Our results reveal that: (1) Psychological reactance poses a potential reason for students' resistance to mandatory use of sports apps, and it has a significant negative impact on students' attitudes and behavioral intentions. (2) Students' perceived threat to freedom and reactance proneness are two important antecedents of psychological reactance, which can account for 51% (R 2 = 0.51) of the variance in psychological reactance. Furthermore, the results indicate that students' reactance proneness has a positive impact on perceived threats to freedom. (3) The mandatory use of sports apps leads students to have two different conditions: mandated-acceptance and mandated-rejection, both of which have a positive impact on the antecedents of psychological reactance. These findings provide insights into the psychological processes underlying students' resistance to mandatory use of sports apps, facilitating the application of sports apps in intervention measures that improve health and fitness. Furthermore, this study is the first to apply psychological reactance theory to mandatory exercise behavior, contributing to the reactance literature.

Implications of psychological reactance for clinical practice in psychiatry including a systematic review.

Implications of psychological reactance for clinical practice in psychiatry including a systematic review.