THE EFFECT OF OBJECTIVE SELF AWARENESS ON COMPLIANCE IN A REACTANCE SITUATION

In: Social behavior and personality: an international journal, Band 6, Heft 1, S. 135-139

Abstract

Objective self awareness was varied to determine its effect on compliance and reactance. The experimental procedure was similar to that used in an early study of reactance (Brehm and Sensenig, 1966). The principal. result was that objective self awareness increased compliance, a result
that is consistent with those of a number of other studies (e.g., Wicklund and Duval, 1971, Exp. II; Duval, 1976). In addition, males and females were found to differ in response to a threat to their freedom. Males tended to show traditional patterns of reactance and compliance, whereas females
were more compliant under a high threat to freedom and displayed reactance-like behavior under a low degree of threat.