Implied threat to behavioral freedom.

Abstract

An experiment was designed to determine if reactance could be aroused by implication. It was hypothesized that an individual experiences reactance when he sees another person's freedom being threatened even though the threatening act is not directed toward the observer. The effect of anticipated future interaction with the threatener was also investigated. Female subjects initially ranked five topics in the order in which they desired to discuss them. Then they overheard a taped conversation in which a person's (B) freedom was threatened by Person A (threat), threatened by A and then restored by the experimenter (restored), or not threatened by A (no threat). The subject expected to interact with either the threatener, the threatened individual, or a neutral person. Following the brief conversation, the subject rated the five topics. The results indicated that the initially most preferred topic declined in desirability in the threat condition significantly more than in the restored and no-threat conditions. Furthermore, this effect was obtained regardless of the individual with whom the subject expected future interaction. The results were interpreted as supporting the hypothesis that reactance can be aroused by implication.

When Citizens Fight Back: Justice Sensitivity and Resistance to Political Reform

“…We assume that persons high in observer justice sensitivity and not affected by a reform should react equally to persons high in victim justice sensitivity in our studies. We come to this prediction because persons high in observer justice sensitivity should perceive a limitation toward the freedom of other persons as illegitimate and accordingly experience vicarious reactance (Andreoli, Worchel, & Folger, 1974). Consequently, persons high in observer justice sensitivity should show more resistance to reform (e.g., protest against reform plans).…”

Actors conform, observers react: The effects of behavioral synchrony on conformity.

“…Andreoli et al (1974) found that merely seeing another person's freedom being threatened decreased participants' ratings of the desirability of stimuli that were ostensibly liked by others. This was true regard less of whether the observers expected to interact with the person who imposed the threat.…”

A 50-year review of psychological reactance theory: Do not read this article.

“…Although this research shows that people can experience reactance from explicit discrimination and stereotyping, a corollary is to examine the implicit, subtler freedom threats that arouse reactance. Early studies showed that making a decision (e.g., Sullivan & Pallak, 1976) or publically committing to a position (e.g., Andreoli et al, 1974) could arouse reactance.…”