Knowledge centre · Illustrated explainer
Ambivalence about change
Wanting change and wanting to keep things as they are can coexist.
- Current situation
- Ambivalence
- Wish for change
How to read the diagram
Motivational interviewing does not reduce ambivalence to lack of information or stubbornness. Understanding a person’s reasons, values and language about change matters.
The diagram does not measure equal weights. The purpose of a conversation is not to decide for someone, but to make room for their own reasons and choices.
Limits of this account
This introduces an approach; it does not claim that Beyaz Yıldırım is trained in or offers it.
Sources and their relevance
- SAMHSA · 2019 — Motivational Interviewing as a Counseling Style · TIP 35, Chapter 3
A chapter on ambivalence, collaboration and change talk.
- William R. Miller & Stephen Rollnick · Guilford — Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change and Grow · 4th edition
A motivational interviewing book suggestion; not a substitute for training and supervision.
Sources checked: 16 October 2026. Original conceptual diagrams prepared for this site. General information, not individual diagnosis or a care plan.