McAndrew, Amanda J. (2016) If Motherhood is Ambivalence: Can Motivational Interviewing Help? Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Whilst conflict in the identities of mother and woman are a normal part of maternal development, many women experience a state of ambivalence as they work to separate motherhood and womanhood (Parker, 2005). Despite motivational interviewing (MI) explicating its primary aim as resolving ambivalence and strengthening commitment to change (Miller & Rollnick, 2013), MI has been overlooked as an effective therapy tool as it is best known for treating substance abuse (Bjork, 2013). Current research suggests that MI has the therapy tools to support clients in resolving their ambivalence in a range of psychological and life-style related problems without being limited to substance abuse settings (Roten, Zimmerman, Ortega, & Despland, 2013). The present study aimed to show that if motherhood is ambivalence then motivational interviewing (MI) is an appropriate treatment to help detach a womanhood-motherhood intertwine since ambivalence for change holds the relationship in place. It compared video recorded MI sessions and their transcripts in a substance abuse and personal counselling setting, and instances of ambivalence talk between the client and therapist were examined. Eight extracts were selected where eliciting ambivalence was the topic of therapy conversation. The properties of ambivalence were discovered using discursive psychology and conversation analysis. Three key findings were uncovered. First, MI is constructed from open questions and formulations, with the therapist following an ordered four-phase sequence. Second, MI is constituted from professional upshot formulations of a client’s troubles. Third, MI appears to be suitable for personal counselling, and the approach is not limited to the addictions settings. The results remind us of the potential for MI in treating women’s feelings of ambivalence in relation to motherhood, and broaden perspectives for clients beyond more traditional therapy treatments.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Counselling (1 Jan 2015 - 31 Dec 2021) |
| Supervisors: | Steve Christensen |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 08 Sep 2025 22:35 |
| Last Modified: | 08 Sep 2025 22:35 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | motivational interviewing ; ambivalence ; motherhood ; discursive psychology ; conversation analysis |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52546 |
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