This self-report measure evaluates individual differences in psychological reactance, or the tendency to experience resistance when personal freedoms are perceived as threatened. The Hong Psychological Reactance Scale (HPRS) is commonly used to characterize autonomy-related responses that may influence engagement with guidance, rules, or interpersonal influence attempts.
The instrument consists of 14 items and typically requires about 3 minutes to complete. Items ask respondents to rate how well statements describe their usual reactions, yielding a score that can support clinical formulation and research related to compliance, persuasion, and conflict around perceived restrictions.
Originally associated with work by Sharon S. Brehm and Jack W. Brehm, the Hong Psychological Reactance Scale (HPRS) is intended for use as an assessment of a dispositional construct rather than a diagnostic tool, and results should be interpreted in the context of other clinical information.