Educing Information: Interrogation - National Intelligence University

VI. Consume Resistance
A longstanding maxim of interrogation training is that “every man has his
breaking point.” In the social science literature, the concept that comes closest to
that of breaking is regulatory depletion, which postulates that the human capacity
to control one’s own responses (self-regulation) draws on a finite and limited
resource. Regulation requires effort and that effort uses up some of a person’s
regulatory energy, so that less is available for subsequent responses (Muraven,
Tice and Baumeister, 1998, 775).
Existing research suggests that one common and modestly sized store of
energy fuels any and all forms of regulatory activity. Theoretically, then, one’s
regulatory capacity could be entirely depleted. However, repeated cycles of
exertion and restoration may serve to strengthen regulatory capacity and perhaps
make subjects more resilient (Baumeister, Muraven, and Tice, 2000; Strayhorn,
2002); thus, overwhelming or depleting a person’s resistance in the short term
may be theoretically possible, but may impose a cost in the longer term.
VII. Use Resistance to Promote Change
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time, and it
annoys the pig.
One of the most intriguing approaches to getting past resistance is to use it.
The theory and concepts behind the idea of using resistance draw from several
sources, including the work of psychotherapists Victor Frankl and Milton Erickson,
who used unconventional strategies (for example, telling an insomniac to try to
stay awake) to bypass their patients’ resistance and effect therapeutic change
(Weeks and L’Abate, 1982). Examples include what is popularly called “reverse
psychology”; the professional term commonly ascribed to this technique is
“paradoxical intention.” Other studies suggest that acknowledging (or preempting)
resistance can help to reduce it, for example, by preceding a persuasive message
by saying something like: “I know you’re determined not to listen to anything I say,
but…” When this works, it appears that the target resists the acknowledgement or
suggestion of resistance (Linn and Knowles, 2002).
Although Hans Gerz (Frankl, 1967) is said to have claimed that paradoxical
intention is successful in 80–90% of cases, many of the documented successes
are anecdotal and are ascribed to a small cadre of “master” therapists. Findings
garnered over the last 15 years suggest that these techniques may only work for
people who are inclined to resist direct suggestions.
Implications
Research findings support the idea that different strategies may be required
for different sources (and maybe even under different conditions). In a context in
which information is being educed, different sources will have different degrees
of, and strategies for, resisting. An educer must constantly assess and monitor
30