Resistance,reactance, and misinterpretation: Highlighting the challenge of persuading people with depression to seek help

Interventions that increase help‐seeking among people with depression have the potential to save lives. Several efforts have been impressively successful; however, research has also chronicled inconsistent results, with some endeavors indicating boomerang effects. The goal of the current analysis is to synthesize select findings from cognitive theorizing on depression with persuasion scholarship to explain how and why the combination of unfavorable attitudes toward help‐seeking, attitudes that are increasingly resistant to influence, psychological reactance, and cognitive errors can result in challenging responses to messages encouraging help‐seeking among people with depression. In addition, we highlight the importance of utilizing theory‐based approaches to circumvent resistance to persuasion and provide an explanation as to why the provision of immediate help‐seeking mechanisms could be a key aspect of successful intervention efforts. We also stress the importance of formative research and pilot testing, and warn against the potentially harmful error of assessing messages targeting people with depression on those without heightened levels of depressive symptomatology. Ideally, this effort will draw attention to the challenge of persuading people with depression to seek help and also motivate social psychologists to consider the ways they can use their craft to positively influence the health and well‐being of people with depression.     

Self-consciousness and reactance

Two studies examined the effects of dispositional self-consciousness on reactance. In Experiment 1, men who were high in private self-consciousness displayed greater reactance responses to a coercive communication attempt (as reflected by attitude reversal) than did men lower in private self-consciousness. In contrast, the effect of public self-consciousness in this context was to inhibit the expression of reactance. In Experiment 2, women high in private self-consciousness exhibited greater reactance responses to a self-imposed threat to their freedom of choice (as reflected by equivocation over two choice alternatives) than did women lower in private self-consciousness. The effect of public self-consciousness in this context was negligible. These findings replicate and extend a previous self-awareness and reactance finding; they provide additional evidence that manipulated self-awareness and dispositional self-consciousness converge on the same psychological entity; and they provide additional evidence that there are important differences between the dimensions of private and public self-consciousness.     

Persuasion,reactance, and judgments of interpersonal appeal

Female undergraduates were or were not exposed to an opinion statement that threatened to a greater or lesser degree their freedom to make an independent assessment of the relative attractiveness of two males. Measures of perceived attractiveness and choice indicated a persuasion effect among subjects exposed to the mild statement and contrary opinions indicative of reactance among subjects exposed to the strong statement.     

Achievement motivation,psychological reactance,and learned helplessness

Two experiments are reported in which the behavior of subjects classified as high or low on achievement motivation was studied following experience of uncontrollable, nonaversive outcomes, using a triadic design. In both experiments, subjects high on achievement motivation displayed facilitation, whereas subjects low on achievement motivation displayed slight interference or no effect. In the second experiment it was shown that the experimental treatment was successful in inducing the expectation of response-outcome independence without associated perceptions of failure. It differed in this respect from manipulations used in most reported studies of human helplessness. The results are discussed in relation to theories of achievement motivation, psychological reactance, and learned helplessness.The first experiment was conducted by the first author under the supervision of the second author in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the B.A. Honors degree in psychology at the University of Adelaide. The authors wish to thank J. M. Innes and E. E. Rump for their helpful comments.     

Psychological reactance: examination across age, ethnicity, and gender

Psychological reactance is a motivational state aroused when real or perceived personal freedoms are threatened, reduced, or eliminated. Although psychological reactance theory has existed for almost 40 years, there is still dissent over some of its most basic characteristics. Research on age and ethnicity is scant, and research on gender has not produced a clear pattern of results. We attempted to clarify the relationships of these variables to psychological reactance. A total of 3,499 undergraduates completed the Therapeutic Reactance Scale and a brief demographic questionnaire. We found a curvilinear relationship between age and reactance, with older and younger participants exhibiting higher reactance than the middle age group. African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics exhibited higher total, behavioral, and verbal reactance than Caucasians and Native Americans. Men produced higher total, behavioral, and verbal reactance scores than women. We discuss the implications of these findings and make suggestions for further research.     

Perceptual reactance and criminal risk-taking

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differential perception of criminal risk by individuals identified as Reducers, Augmenters and Moderates according to their tendency to subjectively alter perceived size. Serious young offenders of both sexes have been found to be overly represented by Reducers. One possible explanation for this is that Reducers, who have a greater tolerance for pain, are less aware of the experiencing of pain by others, rendering them likely to perceive potentially criminal situations as less risky than do Augmenters. The Behavior Prediction Scale and Petrie's kinesthetic aftereffect measure of perceptual reactance were administered to 46 Ss drawn from a university undergraduate population. Reducers were found most willing to take criminal risks. Moderates unwilling to, and Augmenters least willing to. This was not due to differences in sensitivity to the experiencing of pain by others, however, contrary to expectations. The implications of these findings and suggestions for further research are discussed.     

Perceptual reactance and task performance.

57 female subjects participated in a study in which perceptual reactance was assessed by the kinesthetic figural aftereffects test. Subjects identified as augmenters were quicker than reducers on a disjunctive reaction time task and a significant interactive effect was found on a paired-associate task. Augmenters performed better on a similar list while reducers were more effective on a dissimilar list.     

Prior exercise of freedom and reactance

A communication that contains a particularly strong intent to influence caneasily lose persuasive impact or even bring about a “boomerang” effect. Such “boomerang” phenomena have often been attributed to “psychological reactance”, a motivational state created when freedoms are threatened or usurped. The first experiment reported here examined two factors that inhibited reactance effects. (A) The more that subjects were in initial disagreement with the communicator, the less likely they were to respond with boomerang change to a high pressure communication. (B) Among subjects who initially agreed with the communicator, a successful blocking of reactance effects was produced by asking them to write a short precommunication essay taking a position contrary to the communication. This latter effect was replicated in Experiment II.     

Perceptual reactance and melanic density.

Following assessment of eye color, a total of 108 college students (33 males and 75 females) estimated changes in sizes of standardized blocks while blindfolded. Subjects were classfied as perceptual augmenters, moderates or reducers as a function of their overestimation, accurate estimation, or underestimation, respectively, of the sizes of the blocks. A significant interaction of gender by perceptual reactance appeared, with augmenting males being rated the most dark-eyed and augmenting females being rated the most light-eyed. Interpretation of the findings was made in terms of attention to relevant cues.     

Evaluating ecological,behavioral, and process consultation interventions

The present study evaluated the differential effectiveness of conceptually distinct consultation programs (ecological, behavioral, and process) in inner-city elementary schools. Program children, evidencing acting-out problems, were monitored through baseline, treatment, and follow-up phases, using an observational format incorporating behavioral, process, and ecological dimensions. Significant reductions in observed and rated behavioral problems occurred only in classes provided behavioral consultation. Significant increases in achievement scores were noted for children provided process consultation. Few consistent changes were noted for those in the ecological and control classes. The teachers rated the behavioral and process consultation approaches as most beneficial and helpful.     

Interpretation style and reactance in counselor's social influence.

This study compared two different interpretation styles (tentative and absolute), two levels of subjects' reactance (high and low), and gender on the counselor's social influence, willingness to see the counselor, willingness to help, ability to help, and subjects' anger. No significant main effects or interaction were found for the counselor's social influence, but men in contrast to women perceived the counselor as more willing to help and indicated that they were more willing to see the portrayed counselor. Highly reactant subjects were more willing to see the counselor when absolute interpretations were used; they also thought the counselor was more willing to help when absolute interpretations were used, whereas low reactant subjects thought the counselor was more willing to help when tentative interpretations were used. Mixed results were found for subjects' anger.     

Narcissism,sexual refusal,and aggression: testing a narcissistic reactance model of sexual coercion

Laboratory analog studies investigated the theory that narcissism and reactance contribute to causing rape. In Study 1, narcissism correlated positively with rape-supportive beliefs and negatively with empathy for rape victims. In Study 2, narcissists reported more enjoyment than other men of film depictions that presented consensual, affectionate activity followed by rape (but not in response to either affection or rape alone). In Study 3, narcissists were more punitive than other men toward a female confederate who refused to read a sexually arousing passage aloud to them.     

Subject variables and reactance to persuasive communications about drugs

The role of three subject variables in the mediation of reactance to pro- and anti-LSD messages was investigated: sex, authoritarianism, and suspiciousness that the purpose of the experiment was to study persuasion. No reactance effect occurred reliably either overall or in any subgroup of subjects for the anti-LSD message which supported the initial views of most subjects (evening-division undergraduates). In the pro-LSD case, reactance effects occurred among highly suspicious male subjects only. It was suggested that reactance could be a responce to perceived threat from the experimenter rather than, or as well as the communicator, and that male and female subjects responded to such threat in accordance with their culturally prescribed roles.     

A unidimensional measure of Hong's psychological reactance scale

Research using Hong's Psychological Reactance Scale has been fraught with methodological concerns. Researchers have been unable to find a stable, a nd replicable factor structure. Here, results suggested t hat Hong's Psychological Reactance Scale is a unidimensional one with an average alpha of .74 (SD=.46). This value was attained by first analyzing correlation matrices reproduced from three reports on Hong's Psychological Reactance Scale and then verifying this new factor structure with original data. Tests for internal consistency supported a 1-factor solution. Tests for external consistency supported prior findings in relation to Psychological Reactance and offer evidence that the 1-factor solution is externally valid. While the authors contend that a 1-factor solution is appropriate, further testing is needed for external consistency and refinement of the measure.