摘要:Necessary changes through political reforms meant to solve current problems can be justified in different ways. Politicians can focus on the communication of increased limitations resulting from the changes ( limitation justification ) or they can communicate improvements of the institutional setting, e.g., with respect to more equitable rules ( improvement justification ). Based on reactance theory we argued that a limitation justification threatens one’s freedoms, and, therefore, leads to direct and indirect reactance effects compared to an improvement justification. Study 1 showed that the participants reacted with more negative attitudes when the changes were justified through limitations compared to improvements. This difference was mediated by the experience of reactance. Study 2 revealed that a limitation justification had a negative impact on financial honesty through a lower identification with one’s country. The implications of our results for the communication of political reforms are discussed. Keywords:  reactance , attitude toward a reform , financial dishonesty , communication , justification , political reform
关键词:reactance; attitude toward a reform; financial dishonesty; communication; justification; political reform