Reactance is an unpleasant motivational arousal (reaction) to offers, persons, rules, or regulations that threaten or eliminate specific behavioral freedoms. Reactance occurs when a person feels that someone or something is taking away their choices or limiting the range of alternatives.
Reactance can occur when someone is heavily pressured to accept a certain view or attitude. Reactance can cause the person to adopt or strengthen a view or attitude that is contrary to what was intended, and also increases resistance to persuasion.
An example of such behavior can be observed when an individual engages in a prohibited activity in order to deliberately taunt the authority who prohibits it, regardless of the utility or disutility that the activity confers.
An individual's freedom to select when and how to conduct their behavior, and the level to which they are aware of the relevant freedom—and are able to determine behaviors necessary to satisfy that freedom—affect the generation of psychological reactance. It is assumed that if a person's behavioral freedom is threatened or reduced, they become motivationally aroused. The fear of loss of further freedoms can spark this arousal and motivate them to re-establish the threatened freedom.
----
Follow up with Dr B Friday afternoon. It's been...3 months? Something like that. February I think. Anyway.
He starts off with the usual how-things and an "anything you want to talk about". Well there are things, but not going to talk about them in this room. Monsters live elsewhere. See new songlist addition. My vitals are good, RHR 51 and BP the usual low. However Monster has one vital off, and it was enough to cause questions with intake. Ugh.
We cover the basics -- no symptoms, no chest pain. Well none worth noting. Just my usual occasional that I don't see a need to keep bringing up.
Then he asks about exercise. "about 50 miles running, 150 miles biking". Pause. "Yes, a week". More pause. I think it's safe to say he doesn't like my exercise routine.
At about this point I get a grin on my face I can't repress. Not a "lookit me" or a "Ima win the 10K challenge" or a happy grin. More of a ... don't know how to react, so I grin. Not even really a smile. I feel stupid about it.
"I'm signed up for a race. No -- no -- not a race, but a run , just participate, nothing fast." He asked what kind -- 5K, half, marathon, ultra. "Ultra". Now a pause with head shaking. I think it's safe to say he doesn't like my race plans.
I didn't mention the distance, didn't think saying "100 miles" would gain me any ground.
I couldn't get the stupid grin off my face. The conversation from here went to yes this is my usual before heart attack stuff, I'm young, review of October catheterization shows I'm healed.
He'd like me to wait for one year. I suggest that the race is in October, that's 13 months. I didn't gain any ground with that one. And I certainly at this point didn't mention that I have a race tomorrow night.
To his credit, or perhaps seeing no recourse, he changed tactics. And instead went for a "if you want to do this..." angle. This was encouraging to me. On the way out the door, he said to let him know how the race goes. Ugh. Felt even more stupid.
I super respect this doctor, he might be the only one I listen to on this. Why just hours ahead of this appt I told SO that "I'm blessed" to have him on board. So why am I so resistant? If I wasn't already registered for Hennepin, would I change my plans?
No. I'd still run. But now I only want to run MORE. Saturday while skimming Reddit I learned about Reactance, a social psychology explanation for why we become resistant to doing something when someone else tells us to do it.
And I think that explains much of my angst lately. Everyone telling me too far, too much, too soon. Eat this not that. Take this pill. Take time off. UGH.
I do personal experiments in 3 month blocks. June is the end of the April-May-June block. Things gotta change.
No comments:
Post a Comment