Making Reverse Psychology Work for You


Most of the folks have heard about reverse psychology, but very few of them know what it exactly means. In simple words, reverse psychology means getting someone to do a particular thing by telling him not to do. The idea behind the psychology is that by telling individuals they can’t do something or they shouldn’t do something, it makes them to do it more. As a result, people tend to do a particular thing which they have been told not to do. In the process, you get the work done by employing this negative psychology.

How to make reverse psychology work for you

Use it on your kids

If you wish to get a particular work done by your child, you can employ this theory and get desired results. For example, if your child resents from taking a bath, you can give him a choice, no bath means – no recipe for that day. Here, your child has two choices, either take a bath and enjoy the recipe or forego the recipe for not taking a bath. In this case, your child will certainly take a bath to enjoy his preferred recipe. Make sure to pair this theory with reward system. Without rewards, the theory won’t work on your children.

Use the theory in relationships

When it comes to romantic relationship, honesty turns out to be the best policy. However, when it boils down to classic relationship, there is one particular area where men often struggle with women saying the opposite of what they mean. For example, if your female partner makes a suggestion which you do not feel is straightforward, don’t tell her that. Instead, tell her that the decision made by her is just fine. According to the rule of reverse psychology, your female partner will certainly back track her decision and you will be able to get the thing done as you wish.

Use it at work

While the working environment is team oriented to do a particular thing, many people believe that work is about getting things done by others without a lot of hassle. For this particular reason, clever bosses and co workers employ this theory to get things done as they desire. For example if a particular worker is not doing a work which you want him to do, you can tell him that you will take care of that work and ask him to do another work which the worker doesn’t like. Instead of doing the other more unpleasant work, the worker will happily do the work which he was not doing previously.

Closing thoughts

Thus, there are many areas where you can use reverse psychology and get things done as desire. Whether it is your significant other, your child or your work place, you can certainly get the work done by employing this theory. However, the key lies in using the theory with wisdom and care; otherwise it will not deliver desired results. If used properly, you can certainly get a lot of work done by folks who do not wish to do those particular chores with reverse psychology.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *