The One About My Mom, Tattoos, and Psychological Reactance

When reading through the Attitude chapter, the concept that most stuck with me was Psychological Reactance, which is the theory that, when people feel their freedom is being threatened, they react by asserting themselves and their views, and ultimately finding the threatened freedom more attractive (Brehm & Brehm, 1981). Furthermore, the perceived threat of freedom can lead to a negative attitude change, or a move to the complete opposite position of the one being promoted, if the communicator is seen as coming on too strong (Heller, Pallak, & Picek, 1873). In addition, the theory is sometimes viewed as ‘Reverse Psychology’ or the idea that, if you want someone to do something, threaten them with the idea that they aren’t allowed to do it. In other words, if you want a child to eat their vegetables, tell them they are not allowed to eat any vegetables, ever.


This concept reminded me of being a teenager, when anything your parents told you to do, say, or think was wrong, and the need to do the opposite was immense. In terms of my teenage years, the biggest things I rebelled against had to deal with tattoos and alcohol, and it wasn’t in the way most people would think. My mom loved to go out, drink, and dance, while I preferred to stay home with a book. Furthermore, she has about twelve tattoos and will probably get another one by the time you read this blog. Growing up around her, especially during my teen years, she would always offer me a sip of her alcohol drink and ask me what kind of tattoos I was going to get when I was older. Overall, she gave the impression that I was expected to love tattoos and give them as soon as possible. And since, at the time, I felt she was trying to control me, I fought against it. I rebelled by forming and stating the opinion that I hated alcohol and tattoos, and would not ever drink alcohol or get a tattoo. Like the concept Psychological Reactance discusses, I felt my freedom of choice when it came to alcohol and tattoos was being threatened, so I fought against my mom in order to reassert that freedom. Furthermore, since I felt my mom was really pushing and wanting me to get a tattoo, this lead to me having a negative attitude change, and forming the total opposite opinion of what she was aiming for.

Of course now I do have a tattoo and drink alcohol from time to time, but the decision to get a tattoo and start drinking were made in situations where I didn’t perceive me freedom of choice was being threatened and therefore could make the decision on my own. My mom is very pleased with these developments since she gave up a long time ago trying to convince me to get a tattoo, and she says she would rather me legally drink alcohol than do anything else illegally.

Brehm, S.S., & Brehm, J.W. (1981). Psychological reactance: A theory of freedom and control. New York: Academic Press.

Heller, J.F., Pallak, M.S., & Picek, J.M. (1973). The interactive effects of intent and threat on boomerang attitude change. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 26, 273-279.