Mitigating the Reactance to Choice-Restricting Health Messages through Interdependent Self-Construal Priming

Abstract

This study examined the possibility of mitigating psychological reactance to health messages through interdependent self-construal priming. With a 2 x 2 experiment, we manipulated (1) whether or not the health message restricts choice, and (2) whether or not a participant was primed with interdependent self-construal before seeing the message. Results showed that the choice-restricting message elicits greater perceived threat to freedom and psychological reactance. Participants who received an interdependent self-construal prime respond with lower levels of perceived threat to freedom when the message has low restriction to choice. However, the process did not increase message effectiveness. As the first research that focuses on the effects of situational self-construal priming in the context of psychological reactance theory, this study suggests the possibility to mitigate reactance through interdependent self-constual priming. Implications for future research and health message strategies are discussed.