Reverse symbolic action and quiescence: a critical exploration of anti-abortion rhetoric and movement activation

Abstract Following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision, the pro-choice movement had a clear spike in motivation and action. The Republican Party hosted a celebratory news conference following the decision, but rather than activating their own base they witnessed an unintentional activation of their opposing base. This article proposes a theory of reverse symbolic action which explores the possibility that extreme anti-abortion rhetoric caused the pro-life movement to fall into dormancy while causing the pro-choice movement to activate. Drawing on social judgment theory and politics as symbolic action, reverse symbolic action has three dimensions: policy action producing quiescence, rhetorical overreach, and unintentional activation of the oppositional base. A case study applies this new theoretical lens to the House Republican news conference held immediately after the announcement of Dobbs. Public responses are explored through analysis of Twitter activity following the conference and the 2022 midterm election results.