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Control, Its Loss, and Psychological Reactance

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Control Motivation and Social Cognition

Abstract

Reactance theory was formulated to deal with certain phenomena of social influence (Brehm, 1966; Brehm & Brehm, 1981; Wicklund, 1974). It held that people believe they have specific behavioral freedoms, and when those freedoms are threatened or eliminated in any way, the individual becomes motivated (reactance) to reinstate them.

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Brehm, J.W. (1993). Control, Its Loss, and Psychological Reactance. In: Weary, G., Gleicher, F., Marsh, K.L. (eds) Control Motivation and Social Cognition. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-8309-3_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-8309-3_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-8311-6

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