ABSTRACT
Several lines of research indicate that the direction of attitude change may be opposite to a change in behaviour that has resulted from either
sanctions or positive incentives. We all have experienced that forbidden activities or things that are unattainable often seem especially attractive. In terms of the theory of psychological reactance (e.g. Brehm, 1972), restricting an individual's freedom of choice among a set of alternatives motivates the individual to restore this freedom and to evaluate the eliminated alternatives more positively. Thus, sanctions against smoking or other unwanted behaviours may produce unintended opposite effects, and people may cherish the restricted behaviours even more as long as the restrictions are in place. This should be true especially if the sanctions are severe and the freedom to perform the restricted behaviour is highly valued.
