Adolescents and Movie Ratings: Is Psychological Reactance a Theoretical Explanation for the Forbidden Fruit Effect?

Abstract

Adolescents were recruited to participate in an experiment to assess whether psychological reactance can provide a theoretical explanation for the forbidden fruit effect in the context of movie rating restrictions. In addition to examining if movie ratings served as antecedents to freedom threat perceptions, we investigated the role authoritarian parents had on freedom threat perception and reactance arousal. Results indicated that a movie with an NC-17 rating was perceived as a stronger freedom threat than R and PG-13 rated movies. Interestingly, adolescents who perceived their parents to be authoritarian were less likely to view movie ratings as a freedom threat. As expected, freedom threat perceptions were positively associated with psychological reactance. Reactance, in turn, was positively associated with both first and third person attitudes. The results are discussed with an emphasis on the theoretical and practical implications of the findings.

Note

Notes

¹ We included sexual activity as a covariate to account for real-life experience. Adolescents can learn information from personal experiences as well as from what they see in media (Bandura, 2012), and while exposure to sexual content can influence the likelihood of engaging in sexual activity in real life, sexually experienced adolescents might be more attracted to sexual movie content (i.e., more restrictive move ratings).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kira A. Varava

Kira A. Varava (M.A., University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) is a doctoral candidate in Communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include the impact of media on the health of children and adolescents.

Brian L. Quick

Brian L. Quick (Ph.D., Texas A & M University) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication and the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His primary research interests examine how individuals process persuasive health messages.