Reverse psychology

Reverse psychology is Samson’s name for the unexpected link he perceives between a woman’s apparent reluctance and the return of his desire. The idea turns a moment of physical recovery into a self-fashioned explanation—and a rebuke to the therapist he believes has failed him.

Meaning in the Scene

Samson reasons that he needs “a woman who pretended not to want him” so that his “hunting instincts” will take over. In his view, the resistance is not a barrier but the stimulus: it awakens an instinct that ordinary therapeutic efforts have not reached. He identifies the mechanism as reverse psychology, presenting the term as an answer to the puzzle of why his body has begun to respond again.

Relation to Dr. Drake

The insight also sharpens Samson’s frustration with Dr. Drake. He wonders why his therapist did not think of this approach and considers firing him, dismissing the months of treatment as unhelpful. The passage establishes Samson’s judgment of the therapy, not proof that reverse psychology is a reliable treatment; its significance lies in the explanation he adopts at this charged moment.