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From the laboratory to the hospital, adults to adolescents, and disorders to personality: The case of psychological reactance
Author(s) -
Frank Susan J.,
Jackson–Walker Susan,
Marks Melissa,
Van Egeren Laurie A.,
Loop Kathleen,
Olson Kristin
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4679(199804)54:3<361::aid-jclp6>3.0.co;2-s
Subject(s) - reactance , psychology , personality , aggression , minnesota multiphasic personality inventory , anxiety , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , mood , psychiatry , social psychology , voltage , physics , quantum mechanics
Study 1 assessed whether trait reactance in disturbed adolescents (ages 12 to 17) is part of the same constellation of personality variables associated with reactance in adults, and Study 2 examined whether reactance predicts inpatient treatment duration and outcomes. Correlations between reactance and MMPI‐A variables among 76 inpatients (41 girls) showed that reactance is associated with oppositional, nonaffiliative, and narcissistic traits in disturbed adolescents as well as adults. Reactance predicted longer hospital stays among 176 adolescents (90 girls), and also changes in aggression, mood problems, and substance abuse among those in middle ( n = 89) but not early ( n = 87) adolescence. Additional analyses identified “typically male” and “typically female” patterns of reactance‐change relationships. The clinical significance and utility of these findings are discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Psychol 54: 361–381, 1998.