Abstract
Objective
When a client feels a threat to their freedom or autonomy as a result of external feedback, they can act out and respond in maladaptive ways. This state—referred to as reactance—has potential ramifications on interpersonal functioning. However, the underlying factors exacerbating this response including self‐esteem and gender are yet to be extensively explored in a clinical sample. The present study examined whether verbal and/or behavioural reactance mediate the relationship between self‐esteem and interpersonal problems and if this mediational relationship differs between men and women.
Method
Patients with personality dysfunction (N = 136) completed pretreatment assessments of reactance, self‐esteem, and interpersonal problems, and a conditional process model using these constructs was tested.
Results
Findings indicated that the moderated mediation model was significant, pointing to behavioural reactance as a significant mediator in the association between self‐esteem and interpersonal problems. Furthermore, the findings revealed that gender moderated the relationship between self‐esteem and behavioural reactance, indicating that this association may apply specifically to men low in self‐esteem.
Discussion
These results shed light on how behavioural reactance may be an important manifestation of low self‐esteem for men and a key contributor to their interpersonal problems. The findings draw attention to the importance of considering different factors at play when working with reactant individuals in therapy.