Reactance is a psychological phenomenon that occurs when we perceive a restriction being imposed on our freedoms, which causes us to want to do the opposite of the action required, which is usually not taking action at all. It appears across a range of life circumstances, and across different types of relationships; between friends, amongst family members, coworkers, strangers, and even between us and the law.
Reactance usually causes disruptions and slows things down, so it’s important to understand how it works before we begin trying to reduce its’ presence in our lives. However, as with most things, it’s not all bad and can actually be a useful tool in certain situations. To help you make sense of this commonplace but rather nebulous psychological phenomenon, we’ve written a guide that should take you towards gaining a better understanding of what Reactance is, how it works, and some tips on how to control it in both yourself and others. And of course, if you want to find out more than we’ve provided in this guide, you can always get in touch for a more detailed explanation and its’ applications.