From disposition to action: The role of trait and state reactance in pro-choice protest participation in Poland

Governmental restrictions on individual freedoms often elicit heterogeneous public responses. While some individuals mobilize collectively, others remain passive. The present study examines whether stable personality differences in trait reactance explain variability in protest engagement in response to abortion restrictions in Poland. Drawing on psychological reactance theory, we test a mediation model in which trait reactance predicts state reactance, which in turn predicts protest-supportive attitudes and collective action participation. Autonomy orientation and frustration with injustice were included as related dispositional variables to test the specificity of the proposed trait–state relationship. A sample of 586 participants completed measures of trait reactance, autonomy orientation, frustration with injustice, state reactance, and self-reported protest behavior. Structural equation modeling revealed that trait reactance positively predicted state reactance, which was strongly associated with favorable protest attitudes and higher participation. The indirect effect of trait reactance on participation via state reactance and attitudes was significant, whereas the direct effect was not. Autonomy orientation did not predict state reactance when controlling for trait reactance, providing evidence that the trait–state association was not explained by autonomy orientation. These findings suggest that sensitivity to freedom restriction is a key dispositional factor underlying collective action in response to political constraints.