Psychological reactance theory and politeness theory: A test of competing explanations for the role of threat to freedom in conveying persuasive resistance
Abstract
Psychological reactance theory has guided research on resistance to persuasion attempts for decades. Yet its focus on resistance, as rooted in a need to feel free from imposition, may be incomplete and create an inaccurate understanding of how threats to freedom contribute to persuasive resistance. We used politeness theory to develop an alternative model that encompasses reactance theory to better explain resistance by showing that (1) perceived threats to one’s social value have a stronger effect than perceived threats to one’s freedom and (2) the effect of perceived freedom threat was notably reduced after including perceived social value in the model. Two studies using student samples (N = 424, 254) demonstrate how politeness theory offers superior predictive power relative to reactance theory.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Social and Intergroup Psychology
Communication in Education and Healthcare
Psychology of Social Influence
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Communication Monographs
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Volume
- 93
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 327–350
- Publication date
- 19 January 2026
- Language
- EN