Trimming the fat reveals a one-factor construct of Hong's Psychological Reactance Scale

It is unclear whether one should measure psychological reactance as a global one-factor trait or a multidimensional complex of traits. There is evidence on both sides of this debate, and we sought to add to that conversation. In two studies, we attempted to determine the best factor structure of Hong's Psychological Reactance Scale. First (N = 240), we conducted Principal Components Analyses, demonstrating that a one factor solution with eight items removed was the best fit. Second (N = 266), a confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated this 10-item scale had reasonable psychometric properties and assessments of the nomological network suggested this scale was negatively correlated with tendencies to abdicate to authority and positively with tendencies to aggress. Our results suggest that a one-factor structure is reasonable for assessing psychological reactance.