The growing importance of addressing complex challenges like climate change, or pandemics has heightened the relevance of psychological reactance theory (PRT, Brehm, 1966). While PRT has been essential in understanding resistance to public messaging, its development stalled after the introduction of the Intertwined Model of Reactance (Dillard & Shen, 2005). This model, though robust, oversimplifies the complex interplay between cognition and emotion, creating a gap in understanding reactance mechanisms. To address this, we propose the Psychological Reactance Process Model (PRPM), which reconceptualizes reactance as an emotional process, grounded in Cognitive Appraisal Theory (Ellsworth, 2013). The PRPM clarifies how cognition and affect interact during message processing, leading to more accurate predictions of reactance behaviors as shown by a first empirical test (N = 546). The PRPM offers deeper insights for communicators dealing with resistance in public discourse, enhancing the application of PRT in strategic communication, especially when navigating freedom dilemmas.

Brehm, J. W. (1966). A theory of psychological reactance. Academic Press.

Dillard, J. P., & Shen, L. (2005). On the Nature of Reactance and its Role in Persuasive Health Communication. Communication Monographs, 72(2), 144–168. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637750500111815

Ellsworth, P. C. (2013). Appraisal Theory: Old and New Questions. Emotion Review, 5(2), 125–131. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073912463617

This study investigates the role of psychological reactance in the context of multimodal news framing, focusing on how images and text interact to influence audience resistance. While previous research has shown that visual elements in multimodal frames can both enhance and hinder framing effects (Bock, 2020; Powell et al., 2019), our study uniquely combines reactance theory with multimodal framing to explore this dynamic in a factorial two-group experiment with 336 participants. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found that the addition of news images to written articles did not lever out reactant behaviors. Instead, we found that the modality of the news story has a significant effect on perceived manipulative intention (W=50757, p=.02) with perceived manipulation being higher in the group that saw a multimodal news article (M=2.46, SD=1.29) compared to the monomodal group (M=2.24, SD=1.22). We discuss the role of media literacy, the influence of topics and text anchoring.

Our findings highlight the need to reconsider the role of images as a factor of resistance in framing processes and contribute to a deeper understanding of how the value of freedom shapes the perception of multimodal media. The study underscores the complexity of processing multimodal content and its implications for perceived freedom of thought in media consumption, warranting further discussion on its implications.

Bock, M. A. (2020). Theorising visual framing: Contingency, materiality and ideology. Visual Studies, 35(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/1472586X.2020.1715244

Powell, T. E., Boomgaarden, H. G., De Swert, K., & de Vreese, C. H. (2019). Framing fast and slow: A dual processing account of multimodal framing effects. Media Psychology, 22(4), 572–600. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2018.1476891

Addressing climate change requires urgent collective action, often spurred by emotionally charged messaging. This study examines psychological reactance in climate activism, focusing on how individuals negotiate freedom-threatening demands during media consumption about environmental issues. Using conversation analysis (Sacks et al., 1974), the research uncovers that while participants theoretically support restricting media use for environmental benefits, they often experience cognitive-emotional dissonance in practice. This dissonance, explained through psychological reactance theory (Brehm, 1966), triggers behaviors aimed at restoring personal freedom, such as reframing situations to regain agency and minimizing personal implications. The study reveals that reactance is a processual phenomenon in group dynamics, collaboratively negotiated within interpersonal interactions. These insights deepen our understanding of how emotional and cognitive components interact in climate-related behaviors, offering implications for designing climate communication strategies that reduce reactance and encourage sustained behavioral change.

Brehm, J. W. (1966). A theory of psychological reactance. Academic Press.

Sacks, H., Schegloff, E. A., & Jefferson, G. (1974). A simplest systematics for the organization of turn-taking for conversation. Language, 50(4), 696–735.

Extremist and radical content has been given a new platform and means of dissemination as a result of advancing digitalization and the rise of social media. Prevention campaigns are one way of counteracting the persuasive potential of this content and preventing the potential of radicalization processes as far as possible. Although large-scale prevention programs have demonstrated positive effects on knowledge transfer and psychosocial factors, many evaluation studies have methodological limitations (Jugl et al., 2021). One key aspect to consider are unintended reactance processes. If, e.g., prevention campaigns confront participants with their alleged shortcomings or if dropout reports are perceived as betrayal, boomerang effects could be triggered rather than the intended prevention of radicalization (Walsh & Gansewig, 2019).

By means of a systematic literature review (Fig. 1), this presentation examines the questions 1) whether reactance is considered in the evaluation of prevention campaigns, 2) how reactance is implemented and measured in these studies, and 3) which reactance effects are observed in these contexts.

Fig. 1. PRISMA Chart

Jugl, I. et al. (2021). Psychosocial prevention programs against radicalization and extremism. The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 13, 37-46.

Walsh, M. & Gansewig, A. (2019). A former right-wing extremist in school-based prevention work: Research finding from Germany. Journal of Deradicalization, 21, 1-42.