THE NUANCE
The Compelling Science of Reverse Psychology
Exploring an under-appreciated branch of psychology.
One of my kids is learning to read. Very grudgingly. My wife and I have tried to encourage him with rewards. We’ve threatened him with the loss of privileges. Neither has worked.
Recently, in an inspired moment, I tried a new tactic. I told him he could only read for 15 minutes a day. He blinked at me for a minute, confused. “Why can’t I read more than that?” he asked.
“You need time for soccer and TV and homework,” I said. “You can’t spend all your time reading.” He snuck away with his book and, for the first time ever, started to read unbidden. The next morning I caught him reading before breakfast. Magic.
The “reverse psychology” I’d used on my son is the layman’s term for what psychologists call psychological reactance.
“The core idea of reactance is that when people experience any restriction of freedom, they’re motivated to restore that freedom,” says Benjamin Rosenberg, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at Dominican University of California.
My son figured he could read as much as he wanted. When I made it seem like he couldn’t, his reactance button was pushed and he wanted to claw back that lost…
