V. Principles of Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Roll with Resistance

When faced with making a behavior change, resistance can be expected. Staff in the field of corrections must be ever ready for the probability of encountering resistance. Resistance may manifest itself in the form of arguments or it may be subtle resistance that is not direct conflict. Staff needs to be prepared to "roll" with this resistance. Since resistance to change is so common, staff must be adept at handling it.

Response to each and every statement of an offender will lead to more resistance. If staff uses the proper interviewing skills, gathering information becomes much easier. MI techniques, such as reflections, summarizations, and open questions, will help increase communication between staff and offenders. Open lines of communication allow staff to elicit information from offenders. That information, in turn, provides clues about how to overcome offenders' defensiveness and resistance to change. Rolling with this resistance ultimately will lead to better offender outcomes and lower recidivism.