Decreasing parental conflict during divorce: An application of Motivational Interviewing.

摘要

Children of divorcing parents experience a variety of negative consequences following their parents' divorce, and increased animosity between divorcing parents is one factor that can contribute to these consequences. Spouses who are engaged in divorce proceedings where they are unable to agree on the terms of the divorce are more likely to have a contentious relationship prospectively and during the dissolution of their marriage. Persuasion techniques attorneys use with their clients can have the counterintuitive effect of further polarizing the client's position and exacerbate preexisting tension in the parties. Motivational Interviewing is a communication style that explores an individual's ambivalence in order to enhance their motivation to change behavior, in this case animosity toward the other parent. The focus of this dissertation will be to develop a Motivational Interviewing module to implement in legal education. The use of Motivational Interviewing by attorneys with their clients may motivate clients to reduce behaviors likely to increase the negative impact of divorce on their children.