A 50-year review of psychological reactance theory: Do not read this article

Psychological reactance theory (PRT; Brehm, 1966) posits that when something threatens or eliminates people’s freedom of behavior, they experience psychological reactance, a motivational state that drives freedom restoration. Complementing recent, discipline-specific reviews (e.g., Quick, Shen, & Dillard, 2013; Steindl, Jonas, Sittenthaler, Traut-Mattausch, & Greenberg, 2015), the current analysis integrates PRT research across fields in which it has flourished: social psychology and clinical psychology, as well as communication research. Moreover, the current review offers a rare synthesis of existing reactance measures. We outline five overlapping waves in the PRT literature: Wave 1: Theory proposal and testing, Wave 2: Contributions from clinical psychology, Wave 3: Contributions from communication research, Wave 4: Measurement of reactance, and Wave 5: Return to motivation. As part of our description of Wave 5, we detail scholars’ renewed focus on motivational aspects of the framework, and the ways in which this return to PRT’s motivational roots is allowing researchers to push its accuracy and applicability forward. We use this research that is already occurring in Wave 5 to outline three specific ways in which scholars can direct the continued application of motivation science to the advancement of PRT. Finally, as we outline in a future directions sections for each Wave, assimilating this research illustrates the ways in which an emphasis on motivation can expand and explain PRT research in communication, clinical psychology, and measurement

The effect of inconsistency appeals on the influence of direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertisements: An application of goal disruption theory

Scholars across multiple domains have identified the presence of inconsistency-arousing information in direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertisements, and have suggested that these appeals, which highlight differences between people’s actual and desired lives, may create psychological disequilibrium. However, experimental assessment of the distinct influence of inconsistency-arousing information in this domain is rare. Guided by goal disruption theory (GDT)—a framework that outlines people’s reactions to goal expectation violations—we created DTC advertisements designed to make people’s life inconsistencies salient. The influence of these ads on people’s perceptions of, and intentions to use, prescription drugs was then assessed. Results from an SEM analysis support the proposed model, indicating that compared to a control ad, an ad containing a goal expectation violation manipulation resulted in higher levels of psychological disequilibrium; in turn, psychological disequilibrium led to positive evaluations of the ad and the drug, positive outcome expectations of the drug, increased purposive harm endurance, and increased usage intentions. The current results suggest a psychological pathway that begins with a negative goal expectation violation and ends with increased usage intentions and a greater willingness to endure harm to make use possible

Use of an Opt-Out vs Opt-In Strategy Increases Use of Residency Mental Health Services.

Background Residents report high levels of distress but low utilization of mental health services. Prior research has shown several barriers that prevent residents from opting into available mental health services. Objective To determine the impact of a mental health initiative centered around an opt-out versus an opt-in approach to help-seeking, on the use of psychotherapy. Methods Resident use of psychotherapy was compared between 2 time frames. During the first time frame (July 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021), residents were offered access to therapy that they could self-initiate by calling to schedule an appointment (opt-in). The second time frame (February 1, 2021 to April 30, 2021) involved the switch to an opt-out structure, during which the same residents were scheduled for a session but could choose to cancel. Additional changes were implemented to reduce stigma and minimize barriers. The outcome was psychotherapy use by residents. Results Of the 114 residents, 7 (6%) self-initiated therapy during the opt-in period. When these same residents were placed in an opt-out context, 59 of the remaining 107 residents (55%) kept their initial appointment, and 23 (39%) self-initiated additional sessions. Altogether, across both phases, a total of 30 of the 114 residents initiated therapy (ie, 7 during the opt-in and 23 during the opt-out). The differences in therapy use between the 2 phases are statistically significant (P<.001 by McNemar's test). Conclusions There was a substantial increase in residents' use of psychotherapy after the opt-out initiative that included efforts to reduce stigma and encourage mental health services

Goal disruption theory, military personnel, and the creation of merged profiles: A mixed method investigation

The present study provides an example of the integrated data analysis technique of creating and interpreting merged profiles. By using this approach to merging data sources, we gained unique insight into goal disruption theory (GDT). Qualitative data suggest that military personnel harbor a wide range of desired end-states. Quantitative data support a component of GDT, suggesting that participants who have a strong need for desired end-state displayed greater purposive harm endurance. Interpretation of merged profiles revealed caveats to this relationship, in particular that not all end-states are equally motivating. Results illustrate the benefits of the integrated data analysis technique of creating and interpreting merged profiles. Utilization of the merged profiles illuminated relationships that would not have been exposed otherwise

MKID multicolor array status and results from DemoCam

We present the results of the latest multicolor Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detector (MKID) focal plane arrays in the submillimeter. The new detectors on the arrays are superconducting resonators which combine a coplanar waveguide section with an interdigitated capacitor, or IDC. To avoid out-of-band pickup by the capacitor, a stepped-impedance filter is used to prevent radiation from reaching the absorptive aluminum section of the resonator. These arrays are tested in the preliminary demonstration instrument, DemoCam, a precursor to the Multicolor Submillimeter Inductance Camera, MUSIC. We present laboratory results of the responsivity to light both in the laboratory and at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory. We assess the performance of the detectors in filtering out-of-band radiation, and find the level of excess load and its effect on detector performance. We also look at the array design characteristics, and the implications for the optimization of sensitivities expected by MUSIC

Optics for MUSIC: a new (sub)millimeter camera for the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory

We will present the design and implementation, along with calculations and some measurements of the performance, of the room-temperature and cryogenic optics for MUSIC, a new (sub)millimeter camera we are developing for the Caltech Submm Observatory (CSO). The design consists of two focusing elements in addition to the CSO primary and secondary mirrors: a warm off-axis elliptical mirror and a cryogenic (4K) lens. These optics will provide a 14 arcmin field of view that is diffraction limited in all four of the MUSIC observing bands (2.00, 1.33, 1.02, and 0.86 mm). A cold (4K) Lyot stop will be used to define the primary mirror illumination, which will be maximized while keeping spillover at the sub 1% level. The MUSIC focal plane will be populated with broadband phased antenna arrays that efficiently couple to factor of (see manuscript) 3 in bandwidth, and each pixel on the focal plane will be read out via a set of four lumped element filters that define the MUSIC observing bands (i.e., each pixel on the focal plane simultaneously observes in all four bands). Finally, a series of dielectric and metal-mesh low pass filters have been implemented to reduce the optical power load on the MUSIC cryogenic stages to a quasi-negligible level while maintaining good transmission in-band

MUSIC for sub/millimeter astrophysics

MUSIC (the Multiwavelength Submillimeter kinetic Inductance Camera) is an instrument being developed for the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory by Caltech, JPL, the University of Colorado, and UCSB. MUSIC uses microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) - superconducting micro-resonators - as photon detectors. The readout is almost entirely at room temperature and is highly multiplexed. MUSIC will have 576 spatial pixels in four bands at 850, 1100, 1300 and 2000 microns. MUSIC is scheduled for deployment at the CSO in the winter of 2010/2011. We present an overview of the camera design and readout and describe the current status of the instrument and some results from the highly successful May/June 2010 observing run at the CSO with the prototype camera, which verified the performance of the complete system (optics, antennas/filters, resonators, and readout) and produced the first simultaneous 3-color observations with any MKID camera

Status of MUSIC, the MUltiwavelength Sub/millimeter Inductance Camera

We present the status of MUSIC, the MUltiwavelength Sub/millimeter Inductance Camera, a new instrument for the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory. MUSIC is designed to have a 14', diffraction-limited field-of-view instrumented with 2304 detectors in 576 spatial pixels and four spectral bands at 0.87, 1.04, 1.33, and 1.98 mm. MUSIC will be used to study dusty star-forming galaxies, galaxy clusters via the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect, and star formation in our own and nearby galaxies. MUSIC uses broadband superconducting phased-array slot-dipole antennas to form beams, lumpedelement on-chip bandpass filters to define spectral bands, and microwave kinetic inductance detectors to sense incoming light. The focal plane is fabricated in 8 tiles consisting of 72 spatial pixels each. It is coupled to the telescope via an ambient-temperature ellipsoidal mirror and a cold reimaging lens. A cold Lyot stop sits at the image of the primary mirror formed by the ellipsoidal mirror. Dielectric and metal-mesh filters are used to block thermal infrared and out-ofband radiation. The instrument uses a pulse tube cooler and ^(3)He/^(3)He/^(4)He closed-cycle cooler to cool the focal plane to below 250 mK. A multilayer shield attenuates Earth's magnetic field. Each focal plane tile is read out by a single pair of coaxes and a HEMT amplifier. The readout system consists of 16 copies of custom-designed ADC/DAC and IF boards coupled to the CASPER ROACH platform. We focus on recent updates on the instrument design and results from the commissioning of the full camera in 2012