History Main / ReversePsychologyBackfire

(Please do not use this for examples where ReversePsychology only simply does not work. Or rather, [[SelfDemonstratingArticle do use it for them]]. Or... [[MindScrew Oh, forget it]].)

--> '''Andy:''' Roger, money is pretty tight this month. Don't get me anything expensive for my birthday, okay?\\

'''Andy:''' YOU COULD HAVE ARGUED THE POINT A LITTLE! [[note]]For the record, Roger is a husband who thinks a spatula is a good UsefulNotes/ValentinesDay gift because his wife'd been wanting one for years[[/note]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/risky.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes Ask for a nuclear missile, that'll work!]]]]

* Jon once tries to keep ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' away from the curtains by ''asking'' him to sharpen his claws on it. It does not work. Garfield calls it "reverse reverse psychology."

[[caption-width-right:350:[[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes Ask for a nucMAlear missile, that'll work!]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes Ask for a nuklear missile, that'll work!]]]]

** In one episode Homer tries using reverse psychology on the toucan that's stolen his map. It doesn't work, and the toucan flies away. "D'oh!"

** When Marge is pregnant with Lisa, Bart does not want to give up his crib to the new baby. Homer decides to try this by telling Marge that they will leave "the baby alone with his crib", they walk away, but Bart doesn't even budge. Homer then runs in a second later to try and pry Bart away from the crib.

* DoubleSubverted in the first episode of ''Series/{{Community}}''. To try and manipulate Professor Duncan into getting him the answers for every test in his classes, and thus being able to coast his way through his studies, Jeff tries to pull reverse psychology on Duncan. Except that Duncan is a psychology professor, and can instantly see what Jeff is trying to do. Except that Jeff is ''very'' manipulative and ''very'' unscrupulous, and ends up managing to sucker Duncan into doing his bidding anyway. [[spoiler: Except that, as it turns out, much to Jeff's astonishment Duncan actually ''didn't'' do what he wanted, and tricked him.]]

* In Literature/{{Discworld}}'s ''Discworld/MenAtArms'', Vetinari tries to use reverse psychology to get Vimes to work on a politically sensitive case; he does this by absolutely forbidding Vimes from working on it. This almost completely backfires, with Vimes going through a HeroicBSOD and drinking himself to near-death. He would have worked on the case tirelessly without Vetinari's interference, giving Vetinari a shockingly out-of-character NiceJobBreakingItHero. To Vetinari's credit, he almost immediately realizes he pushed Vimes too far when Vimes fails to punch the wall on his way out of the office.

** And in another strip, Jason tries this to convince Andy to buy another computer. When it fails, he grumbles that "Reverse psychology must have been invented by a parent." (Well, [[CaptainObvious duh.]])

* In the ''[[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner Strong Bad Email]]'' "stupid stuff", Strong Bad tried to get Homestar to say something intelligent so he could get some grumblecakes from his weekly e-mail sender. After putting him in a lab coat and pursuing him further has failed so far, Strong Bad attempts to ask Homestar a question so stupid, he would respond intelligently. This, however, lead to Homestar getting the grumblecakes instead, when it's revealed that Homestar wanted to get Strong Bad to say something stupid all along.

->'''Andy''': I think it's wonderful that you want to spend more time with your family even though it means letting 25 years of experience and hard work in the corporate world go to waste while we eat up our savings. I'm behind you 100 percent.\\
'''Roger''': Thanks, sweetie. Now I know it was the right decision.\\
'''Andy''': ''(thinking)'' Boy, when reverse psychology backfires, it really backfires.

'''Andy:''' YOU COULD HAVE ARGUED THE POINT A LITTLE! [[note]]For the record, Roger is a husband who thinks a spatula is a good ValentinesDay gift because his wife'd been wanting one for years[[/note]]

(Please do not use this for examples where ReversePsychology only simply does not work. Or rather, do use it for them. Or... Oh, forget it.)

[[AC: Film – Animated]]

[[AC: Literature]]

[[AC: Live-Action TV]]

[[AC: Newspaper Comics]]

[[AC: Video Games]]

[[AC: Web Animation]]

[[AC: Western Animation]]

-->-- ''FoxTrot''

* In a police drama, a father tries to keep her daughter from entering the police force by telling her that she should, thinking that it is just a phase for her and she just says she wants to be one to spite him. She doesn't.

* [=GLaDOS=] from ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' tries this a lot. Unfortunately she doesn't know much about the human psyche, and her intentions are very, very transparent.

* In Literature/{{Discworld}}'s ''Discworld/MenAtArms'', Vetinari tries to use reverse psychology to get Vimes to work on a politically sensitive case; he does this by absolutely forbidding Vimes from working on it. This almost completely backfires, with Vimes going through a HeroicBSOD and drinking himself to near-death. He would have worked on the case tirelessly without Vetinari's interference, giving Vetinari a shockingly out-of-character NiceJobBreakingItHero. To Vetinari's credit, he almost immediately realizes he pushed Vimes too far when Vimes fails to punch the wall on his way out of the office.

* In the ''Series/ILoveLucy'' episode "Stage Fright", Ethel tries reverse psychology on Little Ricky, who is reluctant to play his drums. After a moment, she comes out of his room.
-->'''Lucy''': Did it work?
-->'''Ethel''': Well, sort of. I said, "Little Ricky, you don't want to play those nasty old drums, do you?" and he said, "No."
* In the ''Series/GetSomeIn'' episode "End of Basic Training", the RAF recruits are being assigned to new posts after their basic training has finished. After seeing his three friends get assigned against their will to a nursing course, Teddy boy Jakey Smith decides to tell the Squadron Leader making the assignments that he really wants to study nursing, assuming that his "request" will also be ignored. To his horror, the Squadron Leader is delighted, as he had Jakey in mind for nursing all along.
* In ''WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie'', when trying to convince Max to go on the fishing trip, Goofy resorts to using reverse psychology, pitifully talking about how he's going to do everything ''"all alone."'' Max's response is to shrug and say "I guess so."

** Another strip had Jason and Peter arguing over which movie to rent. Peter tries to pull the BugsBunny "DuckSeasonRabbitSeason" trick, and says the name of the movie Jason wants, with the idea that Jason will then reflexively argue for Peter's movie. Instead, Jason simply says, "Oh good, we agree."

-->'''Andy''': I think it's wonderful that you want to spend more time with your family even though it means letting 25 years of experience and hard work in the corporate world go to waste while we eat up our savings. I'm behind you 100 percent.
-->'''Roger''': Thanks, sweetie. Now I know it was the right decision.
-->'''Andy''': ''(thinking)'' Boy, when reverse psychology backfires, it really backfires.

* Jon once tries to keep ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' away from the curtains by ''asking'' him to sharpen his claws on it. It does not work.

** Another strip had Jason and Peter arguing over which movie to rent. Peter tries to pull the Bugs Bunny "Rabbit season"/"Duck season" trick, and says the name of the movie Jason wants, with the idea that Jason will then reflexively argue for Peter's movie. Instead, Jason simply says, "Oh good, we agree."