Journal of Experimental Social Psychology,

Social psychological interventions aim to change thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in beneficial ways. However, accumulating evidence suggests that such interventions sometimes backfire, producing effects opposite to those intended. This special issue seeks to advance our understanding of when, why, and for whom social psychological interventions produce unintended negative consequences.

Potential topics

• Boomerang effects and unintended consequences of social psychological interventions
• Reactance and psychological resistance to intervention attempts
• Individual differences in susceptibility to intervention backfiring
• Temporal dynamics of intervention effects (delayed backfiring)
• Mechanisms underlying when and why interventions backfire
• Cross-cultural variation in intervention effectiveness and backfiring
• Interventions targeting attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, or social norms that produce opposite-to-intended effects
• Meta-analyses or systematic reviews of intervention failures
• Novel theoretical frameworks explaining intervention backfiring
• Practical implications for improving intervention design and implementation

Timeline

• October 1, 2026: Submission deadline

Timeline

• June 15, 2026: Submission deadline