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    Ambivalence

    矛盾心态

    Concept

    In Motivational interviewing, ambivalence is the simultaneous presence of competing motivations for and against a change.[1][3] Miller and Rollnick treat it as a common problem on the way to change, and MI was designed to address it.[1]

    Heard as change talk

    “This job is draining me.”

    Heard as sustain talk

    “But a new one might not be better.”

    “And honestly, it’s not that bad right now.”

    Both sets of motives are present at once, and the same person voices both. When someone else pushes for change, the person tends to defend the status quo and voice more sustain talk.

    Ambivalence as a balance: motives for and against change are present at once. When someone else pushes for change, the person is likely to voice more sustain talk. Select a part for details
    Ambivalence as a balance: motives for and against change are present at once. When someone else pushes for change, the person is likely to voice more sustain talk. Save as image (PNG)

    Key points

    • Ambivalence shows up in speech: statements favoring change are Change talk, statements favoring the status quo are sustain talk, and the same person voices both.[1][3]
    • Arguing for change tends to backfire. In MI research, a persuasive, confronting style drew more resistance, and pushing against resistance evoked further defense of the status quo.[2]
    • MI therefore aims for the person, not the counselor, to voice the reasons for change, an idea its authors link to cognitive dissonance and self-perception theory.[2]

    An example

    Lin says, “This job is draining me,” then adds, “But a new one might not be better, and I’d have to start over.” Both statements are sincere: the first is a reason to change, the second a reason to stay put.

    Misreadings and limits

    Ambivalence is often taken as a lack of willpower or an excuse that someone needs to argue away. MI takes the opposite view: it is common on the way to change, and arguing against it tends to draw further defense of the status quo.[1][2]

    Sources

    1. 1 Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change (3rd ed.). Guilford Press. View source
    2. 2 Miller, W. R., & Rose, G. S. (2009). Toward a theory of motivational interviewing. American Psychologist, 64(6), 527–537. doi:10.1037/a0016830
    3. 3 Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (2024). Glossary of motivational interviewing terms (English/Spanish/Portuguese). Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT). View source
    4. 4 Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (n.d.). 动机式访谈法：帮助人们改变（郭道寰、王韶宇、江嘉伟 译）. 华东理工大学出版社，ISBN 978-7-5628-3755-8. Chinese edition of [1]; the Chinese terms on this page follow its glossary.

    Last checked against sources: October 26, 2026