V. Principles of Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Develop Descrepancy

The difference between propositions and facts. Developing discrepancies between what offenders state and what the facts are can help put their circumstances into perspective and motivate them make a change in their lives.

Developing discrepancy is an effective strategy when an offender is ambivalent towards change. Ambivalence is an indecisive state of feeling. On the one hand, she is ambivalent about an intention to change a habit, or challenges the suggestion that a problem exists. On the other hand, she wants to improve her life. Seeing this discrepancy can force this ambivalent offender to reevaluate her current status, which could eventually motivate her to change her behavior.

To understand this idea, think of something that many people would like to change about themselves, like quitting smoking, losing weight, or getting in shape. If a person says he wants to get in shape but is not eating properly, then there is a difference between his stated claim and his actions. Showing people the difference between their present behaviors and their goals gets them to realize that they must change to succeed.

If the goal of developing discrepancy is to show offenders the differences in the way they are living and the way they want to live, then staff must be able to document their behavior accurately and completely. Information is available from multiple sources, including assessment tools, self-report surveys, prior files, rap sheets, and pre-sentence investigations. Analyzing the different pieces of information and confirming that differences exist opens the door for offenders to face their situations.

In many cases, when an offender wants to change a behavior, discrepancy is a tool to greatly increase their levels of motivation. An offender has to get feedback about her personal information and progress. Staff is responsible for giving offenders objective and precise feedback to increase their awareness of existing discrepancies in their behavior.