Resistance to Influence: A Psychological Phenomenon

Good day! My name is Roman Portnyagin, I am an HSE culture trainer at the mining and metallurgical company Norilsk Nickel, and if you are reading this article, it means we are like-minded!

In our company, as in many others, the "Behavioral Safety Audit" (hereinafter BSA) tool is practiced. The tool works towards influencing the employee's beliefs, meaning the result of the BSA should be a motivational and/or changed state of the employee when making safety decisions.

Resistance?

However, we often see that even the most logical arguments hit a wall of misunderstanding or even protest. Why does this happen? The answer lies in the field of psychology.

To a large extent, human behavior is based on the individual's cognitive perception and can only be considered in a combination of characteristics from gender to upbringing and environment. But there is a characteristic that is present in every person and influences decision-making.

A bit of theory…

This characteristic is called "Psychological Reactance" – a theory developed by Jack Brehm in 1966. According to this theory, people experience unpleasant motivational arousal when they feel their freedom of choice is being reduced or threatened, and they seek to restore that freedom.

What does research show?

Recent research in this area on a Russian-speaking sample was published on the psychological publication portal PsyJournals.ru in the article "Adaptation of the Mertz-Hong Reactance Scale on a Russian-speaking Sample. Social Psychology and Society — 2025. Vol. 16. No. 1."

It is worth noting that the study has a number of limitations and unresolved issues, such as the number of people and the gender ratio (72% women), and, according to the authors, will be continued. Nevertheless, today there are a number of scientific publications proving the influence of "reactance" on human decision-making.

Science?

As an example, it is worth noting the time of restrictive measures aimed at preserving the life and health of citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the published work titled "Individual attitudes of the adult population to protective behavior in the COVID-2019 pandemic situation, Social Psychology and Society. 2021."

Here we see that during the analysis of behavior, groups of people appeared time and again who intentionally violated the rules, even though the rules were aimed at preserving their life and health.

What does BSA have to do with it?

I think by now you are already asking: "Roman, what does BSA have to do with it?". The answer to this question lies in the fact that BSA is the psychology of influence. Influence is an impact; when I know what resistance I might encounter in an attempt to influence an employee's beliefs during a conversation (BSA), I form an approach to the individual.

What to do?

So, what do we have in the end? People break rules and are unlikely to want to get hurt in the process. We know that a person may experience reactance to an attempt to limit their freedom. This is one of the possible manifestations of employee behavior. Using this knowledge, we adhere to the following principles to make the conversation effective:

• Avoid direct pressure and control

Shifting the focus to rational discussion: instead of directives, use situational analysis. For example, instead of "You must do this," ask: "What consequences do you think there might be if we don't solve this problem?"

• Support autonomy

Give the interlocutor the opportunity to make decisions independently. For example: "Which option is preferable for you: A or B?"

• Create an atmosphere of trust

Active listening: Show that you understand the feelings of the interlocutor. Use phrases like: "I see this is important to you" or "Tell me more about what you feel."

Avoid judgment and criticism: instead of "You are wrong," say: "It seems to me there is another view on this situation. Let's discuss it?"

• Use "I-messages"

Focus on your feelings, for example: "I worry when meetings are canceled at the last moment" instead of "You are always late."

• Use the "feedforward" technique

Shift the focus from mistakes to future actions: "How can we prevent similar situations in the future?"

• Work with emotions through mirroring

Adapt to non-verbal signals: Copy the posture, speech rate, or intonation of the interlocutor to establish contact.

Use humor cautiously: Neutral jokes can reduce tension, but avoid sarcasm.

• Shift topics without pressure

Temporary distraction: if the interlocutor resists, change the topic to a neutral one, and then smoothly return to the original problem.

Reactance is a natural reaction to pressure, so a flexible approach becomes key. The combination of empathy, respect for autonomy, and active listening skills allows for reducing defensive reactions and directing the dialogue into a constructive channel.

With respect and best wishes, Roman Portnyagin