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    RULE principles

    RULE 原则

    Practice framework
    Also called
    RULE, guiding principles of motivational interviewing, righting reflex, resist the righting reflex

    What are the RULE principles of motivational interviewing?

    RULE is a mnemonic for four guiding principles of motivational interviewing that Rollnick, Miller, and Butler set out for health care practitioners in 2008: resist the righting reflex (the urge to correct), understand the patient’s own motivations, listen with empathy, and empower the patient.[1][2]

    All four are addressed to the helper

    Schematic; contrasts adapted from Rollnick et al. (2008) and Hall et al. (2012)

    Select a card for details.
    Schematic. Four cards, one per letter of RULE, each with an “instead of … try …” contrast; all four are addressed to the helper. The contrasts are adapted from Rollnick and colleagues (2008) and Hall and colleagues (2012). Select a card for details. Select a part for details
    Schematic. Four cards, one per letter of RULE, each with an “instead of … try …” contrast; all four are addressed to the helper. The contrasts are adapted from Rollnick and colleagues (2008) and Hall and colleagues (2012). Select a card for details. Save as image (PNG)

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    Key points

    • R: helpers feel a strong urge to set people right. But people naturally resist persuasion, especially when ambivalent, so pressing the case tends to make them defend the status quo.[1][2]
    • U and L: the patient’s own reasons are most likely to trigger change, so explore their concerns and values with curiosity, and listen at least as much as you inform.[1][2]
    • E: outcomes tend to be better when patients take an active role. Empowering means helping them work out how they could change, drawing on what has worked before, and conveying hope.[1][2]
    • Some later MI texts leave RULE out; the 2013 third edition is organized around the spirit and four processes instead.[3][4] Some trainers still find it a handy memory aid for practitioners.[4]

    An example

    Jay drinks two or three sugary sodas a day. The dietitian holds back the lecture on sugar (R) and asks what he makes of it (U). He says he wants to keep up with his kids at their sports day; she reflects that back (L), then asks which first step he thinks he could manage (E).

    Misreadings and limits

    R is often misread as “people resist being lectured.” The one resisting is the helper, holding back their own urge to correct; people’s dislike of persuasion is the reason.[1][2] Earlier MI spoke of client “resistance,” a term the third edition split into sustain talk and discord.[3]

    Sources

    1. 1 Rollnick, S., Miller, W. R., & Butler, C. C. (2008). Motivational interviewing in health care: Helping patients change behavior. Guilford Press. View source
    2. 2 Hall, K., Gibbie, T., & Lubman, D. I. (2012). Motivational interviewing techniques: Facilitating behaviour change in the general practice setting. Australian Family Physician, 41(9), 660–667. View source
    3. 3 Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change (3rd ed.). Guilford Press. View source
    4. 4 Schumacher, J. A., & Madson, M. B. (2015). Fundamentals of motivational interviewing: Tips and strategies for addressing common clinical challenges. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/med:psych/9780199354634.001.0001

    Last checked against sources: October 27, 2026