What is the Meaning & Definition of reverse psychology

Psychology is a scientific discipline focused on the understanding of human behavior. There are several currents or schools within psychology, being the cognitivism, the psychobiology and Behaviorism three more established paradigms. Behaviorism is based on a whole series of techniques whose purpose is the behavior modification not desired with the intention of restoring the personal balance. One of the techniques used by Behaviorism is the reverse psychology. It is, in short, use a trick to achieve a purpose with the patient. The trick is to suggest not to do something that actually do so. In other words, if we say someone "don't do it", it is likely to do precisely what we have forbidden to him. Reverse psychology is a technique of manipulation and can work in some cases. Seen with a hypothetical example. Some parents want your child to have the habit of reading. They could give you a prize if you read a book but decided to use the technique of reverse psychology and tell him that he can only read a chapter a day. In this way, the child sees that reading is something special and is likely to be more eager to read or even lie to their parents and read more than one chapter. With this trick, the parents would have achieved its goal: that your child interested in reading.

How it acts on the mind

Reverse psychology as a method is not infallible, but yes it can be effective in some cases. And this is for several reasons: 1) the human being needs his plot of freedom and a ban is a challenge, because it implies comply or rebel against it, 2) all persons have to some extent inclination to take the opposite and tell us when A want to B and if later proposed us B might want to (3) the emotions play a role in our decision making the feeling of winning is pleasant, and so oppose a rule is a way of beating which imposed the rule. Mental mechanisms by which runs the reverse psychology are not especially relevant to Behaviorism, but that the important thing is to get the modification of behavior. It should not be forgotten that Behaviorism seeks to correct one negative behavior with one that is satisfactory and is secondary to the knowledge of what the internal processes of the mind, and what really matters is the end result. From the standpoint of morality, someone might think that reverse psychology is an unacceptable manipulation, because it involves playing with people. However, you should make it clear that reverse psychology is not good or bad, is simply a tool that you can use it with a noble purpose, or the opposite.