Reactance Theory Research Articles

Psychological reactance in assertive green advertising: addressing the role of individual values

Purpose Grounded in the psychological reactance theory, this study aims to explore more effective strategies to promote environmentally friendly mobility preferences by examining the interplay between individual value orientations, perceived freedom threats, reactance and assertive language in advertisements promoting sustainable mobility on consumers’ attitude toward such ads. Design/methodology/approach An online questionnaire was distributed to 400 participants. Covariance-based structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized model. Findings The study demonstrates that when seeing assertive ads that promote environmentally friendly mobility options, a prevalent biospheric (hedonic) value orientation leads to a significantly lower (higher) perceived threat toward the ad. This was not the case when seeing the non-assertive ad. While assertiveness in ads has a greater positive influence on the relationship between perceived freedom threat and reactance, non-assertiveness has a greater negative effect on the relationship between perceived reactance and attitude toward green ads. Practical implications Organizations promoting sustainable mobility should tailor advertisements to audience values. For groups with shared values, direct and assertive messages work. For broader audiences, emphasize message attractiveness over assertiveness. 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.

Entrepreneurial alertness and new firm performance: a moderated mediation model

PurposeSupported 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/approachThis 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.FindingsThe 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 implicationsThis 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/valueThe 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.

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

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.

Applying reactance theory in exploring the relationship between the big 5 personality traits and shopping intentions post pandemic

ABSTRACT Despite the role of shopping in alleviating stress, the influence of shopping in coping with the stress experienced during Covid by people with different personality traits is under researched. We addressed this literature gap by conducting an online survey (n = 490) with the U.S. national population. Analysing the data through structural equation modelling, we found that extraversion and neuroticism positively influenced, and conscientiousness negatively influenced Covid-stress; Covid-stress positively influenced intentions for hedonic shopping, panic buying, utilitarian shopping and; Covid-stress mediated the relationships between the personality traits in terms of conscientiousness, extraversion, and neuroticism and shopping intentions in terms of hedonic shopping, panic buying, and utilitarian shopping. Extraversion and neuroticism had an indirect positive influence and conscientiousness had a negative influence on the intentions for hedonic shopping and panic buying. Extraversion and neuroticism had an indirect positive influence on the intentions for utilitarian shopping. Implications for fashion industry are suggested.

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.

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 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.

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.

Examining Audiences' Psychological Reactance to Christian-Sourced Excessive Alcohol Consumption Messages in the United States.

This study experimentally investigated the effect of dogmatic and suggestive language in Christian-sourced excessive alcohol consumption messages among college-aged participants who identify as Christians or non-Christians, as well as the role of perceived similarity with the message source, on their self-reported freedom-threat, psychological reactance, and behavioral intentions to consume alcohol. The results from this study support psychological reactance theory and demonstrate the various message strategies to effectively communicate the negative health effects of excessive alcohol consumption to individuals who identify either as Christians or non-Christians.

How Organizational Electronic Performance Monitoring Affects Employee Proactive Behaviors: The Psychological Reactance Perspective

Nowadays, numerous enterprises are actively adopting electronic performance monitoring (EPM) systems with the goal of enhancing organizational performance by stimulating employee proactive behavior. However, some companies have reported that the EPM system didn't achieve the expected results and even led to the opposite. To address this paradoxical phenomenon, we employed psychological reactance theory to investigate the impacts of employee differentiate perceptions of EPM (developmental EPM [DEPM] and preventive EPM [PEPM]) on individual psychological and behavior reactance. By conducting a three-wave survey questionnaire among 446 corporate employees, we find that DEPM facilitates proactive behavior, while PEPM inhibits such behaviors; Second, psychological reactance mediates the relationships among DEPM, PEPM, and proactive behavior; Third, individual trait mindfulness positively (negatively) moderates the impact of DEPM (PEPM) on psychological reactance. This research elucidates the effects of EPM on proactive behavior, providing valuable information to support attempts to refine digitally driven monitoring models within organizations.

The role of omnichannel integration and digital value in building brand trust: a customer psychological perception perspective

PurposeIn the dynamic landscape of the digital economy, companies are increasingly adopting omnichannel integration strategies to enhance customer experiences. However, the interplay between this strategy and digitalisation in fostering brand trust remains uncharted. Drawing on the social exchange and psychological reactance theories, this study ventures into unexplored territory by examining the impact of omnichannel integration and digital value on brand trust building. It also delves into the boundary roles of customers’ psychological perceptions, both positive (customer empowerment) and negative (privacy concerns and perceived deception), in this process.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducted an online survey of 595 omnichannel users in China and validated the model using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThis study’s results have significant implications for businesses. They show that customer perception of omnichannel integration and perceived digital value are critical drivers of omnichannel brand trust, with customer empowerment playing a mediating role. Notably, the study also reveals that customers’ negative psychological perceptions can have different moderating effects, highlighting the need for businesses to address these concerns in their omnichannel strategies.Originality/valueThis study breaks new ground in marketing research by highlighting the benefits of omnichannel integration and incorporating digital perspectives. It demonstrates the positive impact of blending customer perception of omnichannel integration and perceived digital value on brand trust formation. Furthermore, it explores the boundary roles of customers’ psychological perceptions in this process, offering a unique and comprehensive perspective.

How do mobile app users react to embedded advertising? A perspective from psychological reactance theory

ABSTRACT This study investigated the effects of in-app advertisements (in-app ads) on user responses based on psychological reactance theory. Three types of in-app ads were categorised: banners, pop-up graphics and pop-up video clips. The study also examined the moderating effect of prior negative experiences on the relationship between in-app ad appearance and advertising clutter and in-app ad appearance and advertising scepticism. A total of 1,343 valid questionnaires were collected for each type of in-app ad. Structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis revealed that the duration and frequency of different ads had distinct effects on users' negative psychological reactance, leading to behaviours of ignoring and resisting the ads. Moreover, advertising clutter not only positively influenced advertising scepticism but also increased advertising avoidance, subsequently impacting both the tendency to ignore and resist the advertised content. Prior negative experiences played a moderating role in the banner and pop-up graphic ad models. In conclusion, this study recommends that app developers avoid overwhelming sensory stimulation when displaying ads to reduce the complexity of visual perception. Improving content innovation can help minimise users perceiving the ads as obtrusive. Furthermore, emphasising the relevance of advertisements by integrating them effectively with app functions can increase user ad acceptance.

Residents’ reactance and their intervention strategies in the context of mandatory waste separation

Mandatory policies for waste separation may induce residents’ psychological reactance, which always manifests as multiple negative emotions. This psychological reaction changes dynamically and may continuously harm municipal waste management. However, how this psychological reactance changes over time and how we can intervene in it still lacks exploration. To bridge this gap, the development trends of psychological reactance for different residents and the intervention effects of information publicity were theoretically analyzed based on psychological reactance theory and persuasion theory. A four-times tracing questionnaire survey of 200 general residents from Shanghai was launched, and the data were statistically analyzed using latent variable mixed growth modeling. The results show that: (1) Mandatory policies for waste separation can lead to three trends of psychological reactance among residents: growth mode, decline mode, and inverted U mode. The latter two of these categories account for a greater proportion of the population and may be influenced by values and cultural background. (2) In all three modes, normative and knowledge-based information publicity have a mitigating effect on the growing trend of psychological reactance, while the effect on their initial state is not significant. (3) The changing trend of residents’ psychological reactance to waste separation is dynamic. Information publicity can effectively alleviate the trend of residents’ psychological reactance. The findings provide a dynamic perspective on the negative outcomes of mandatory waste separation policies and are helpful for the government to develop more appropriate policies and interventions.

Reactance to Persuasive Messages Depends on Felt Obligation

Psychological reactance theory suggests that the higher the threat-level of persuasive messages, the higher the reactance. Previous research has revealed ways to manipulate messages to either arouse or reduce psychological reactance. By contrast, the current work compares people’s reactance across different target actions while keeping the threat-level of the message consistent. We propose that reactance to a message depends on the target action’s pre-existing felt obligation. We demonstrate that low-obligation actions are more sensitive than high-obligation actions to the threat-level of a persuasive message. The current work provides one explanation for inconsistencies in the literature regarding message effects. This work also suggests that pre-existing obligation of a target action should be accounted for in order to successfully implement a message intervention.

Chinese Negative Reactions to Positive Gender Stereotypes: A Perspective of Psychological Reactance Theory

Individuals’ lives depend heavily on their freedom, which is why they may respond with reactance if freedom is threatened. Our research, which spans four studies with 1,486 Chinese students as participants, from the perspective of psychological reactance theory, provides evidence that positive gender stereotypes can provoke targets’ negative reactions. In Study 1, participants who heard a speaker state a positive gender stereotype (e.g., “women are beautiful” and “men are strong”) disliked the speaker more, believed that the speaker was more gender prejudiced, and experienced stronger negative emotions than those who heard no stereotype. In Studies 2−4, freedom threat was a crucial mediator in the relation between the positive gender stereotype and targets’ negative reactions. Furthermore, depersonalization also played a parallel mediating role. Although positive gender stereotypes seem superficially complimentary, they may have detrimental effects on interpersonal relations. Our research suggests that people should refrain from using stereotypes in their interpersonal interactions whenever possible. Even though people may sometimes inevitably convey positive stereotypes to others, they should be given the freedom to minimize the negative consequences of such stereotypes. Additional online materials for this article are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/DOI: 10.1177/03616843241242711

The relationship between abusive supervision and job satisfaction and turnover intentions: the moderating role of employee depression

PurposeUsing the lenses of social exchange and reactance theories, this study examines the relationships between abusive supervision and both turnover intentions and job satisfaction. The moderating role of employee depression in the relationship between abusive supervision and these specific work outcomes is also investigated, by incorporating the conservation of resources theory.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative data were collected from a sample of 221 frontline retail employees, across shopping malls in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad. A 3-step multiple hierarchical regression analysis was performed to test the relationships.FindingsThe findings provided support for the propositions that abusive supervision predicts job satisfaction and turnover intentions, respectively. Employee depression moderated the relationship between abusive supervision and job satisfaction but did not moderate the relationship between abusive supervision and turnover intentions.Originality/valueWhile existing research has explored the relationships between abusive supervision, job satisfaction and turnover intentions, limited studies have investigated the moderating role of employee depression. This study contributes to understanding this pervasive workplace issue by investigating a relatively unexplored moderating effect.

Pushing reactance theory: An examination of the reactance process in the context of advice.

Pushing reactance theory: An examination of the reactance process in the context of advice.