Document Type
Research Paper
Abstract
The penalties for drinking illicitly can be severe, yet many drink in spite of the law. Brehm's Reactance Theory (1966) suggests that a person will strive to correct a perceived loss of freedom and control. Drinking-age laws may spark a feeling of loss of control and freedom for those underage, thus inadvertently encouraging reactance to controls in the form of excessive drinking. Participants (n = 175) completed a survey about their drinking motivations and behaviors. Illegal drinkers were no more reactant than legal drinkers, but binge drinkers were more reactant than more responsible drinkers. This suggests that it is not necessarily age, but maturity that determines reactance in drinking.
Publication Date
2001
Journal Title
Conference Proceedings: Undergraduate Social Science Research Conference
Volume
5
Issue
1
First Page
153
Last Page
158
Copyright
©2001 by the University of Northern Iowa
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Publisher
University of Northern Iowa
City
Cedar Falls, IA
Recommended Citation
Sherburne, Katherine and Harton, Helen C.
(2001)
"Motivations for Drinking Among College Students,"
Conference Proceedings: Undergraduate Social Science Research Conference: Vol. 5:
Iss.
1, Article 28.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/csbsproceedings/vol5/iss1/28
