The Neuroscience of Motivational Interviewing
Papaioannou Spiroulia A
2021
Archives in Neurology & Neuroscience
Introduction Psychosocial interventions have found increased success over the last few decades in resolving dysfunctional behaviors addressing malignant cognitions and attitudes, including addictive and compulsive behaviors, anxiety disorders, eating and feeding disorders and patients' dealing with chronic pain issues [1-3]. Motivational Interviewing (MI) aims to alter dysfunctional attitudes and beliefs with the ultimate goal of changing the clients' undesired behaviors. Specifically, MI, with
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... verbal interaction as its main tool, focuses on the development and empowerment of the individuals' motivation to make the desired change [4, 5] . In other words, MI is a client-centered directive method for enhancing inner motivation to change negative behavior by exploring and resolving ambivalence [6] . While most of research revolving around this topic focuses on the relationship between cognition and behavioral change in terms of the intervention, the understanding of the neurobiological basis of these changes is equally important. The behavioral changes of such interventions, and specifically MI, attributed to a neurobiological level recently drew the attention of modern studies in a variety of fields. Such evidence can drastically improve our understanding of the given methods. Firstly, by drawing a connection between cognition and behavior changes to specific neural networks and brain regions involved in the process of those changes and hence, help us make related intervention methods more direct and effective [7] . Secondly, the deeper understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms involved in such processes can help us track the progress of the given treatment by adding the biological variable to the behavioral/cognitive one, and provide us a more specific, person-centered and holistic knowledge of the given situation [8] . Finally, this could help in the more accurate categorization of individuals that seek to change their dysfunctional behaviors not only via behavioral characteristics but also via neurobiological underpinnings that are not so easily identified using behaviorbased measures, considering the importance of the individual differences during the interventions. Such evidence can therefore give us critical information ranging from treatment planning to the effectiveness of the treatment methods and approaches used to treat/alter a plethora of dysfunctional behaviors [6, 8, 9] .
doi:10.33552/ann.2021.10.000732
fatcat:w3hvsonykjhrlckmxr4gmhnb6m