Ironic process theory, also known as the pink elephant paradox or the white bear phenomenon, holds that when a person deliberately tries to avoid a particular thought or feeling, the attempt at avoidance often backfires, causing the thought or feeling to occur more often and more intensely rather than less. The social psychologist Daniel Wegner pioneered research into the effect, running the first laboratory experiments on it in 1987.
Facts
Core Claimwhen an individual intentionally tries to avoid thinking a certain thought or feeling a certain emotion, a paradoxical effect is produced 1 First Described Year Classification
Type of PhenomenonSocial or Interpersonal Phenomenon 1 Sources
1. Ironic process theory - Wikipedia
Intro, sentence 1
when an individual intentionally tries to avoid thinking a certain thought or feeling a certain emotion, a paradoxical effect is produced
Intro, sentence 2
Daniel Wegner first studied ironic process theory in a laboratory setting in 1987
lead section, phenomenon-kind classification
Social psychologist Daniel Wegner first studied ironic process theory in a laboratory setting in 1987.
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