Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Psychological Reactance Theory And Marijuana Craving, Melissa Nicole Slavin

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Psychological Reactance Theory (Brehm, 1966) asserts that people experience reactance (a retaliatory motivational state characterized by negative affect and resistant attitudes) when they perceive their autonomy is threatened. Reactance may lead to “boomerang effects”, where the individual is drawn toward the restricted object or behavior. Anti-marijuana (MJ) messages designed to discourage use might heighten reactance and inadvertently lead to greater craving for MJ and stronger intentions to use. The current online experiment determined that a message discouraging use of MJ evoked greater reactance in student and community member participants than a harm-reduction message. Additionally, reactance was associated with participants’ indirect …