Outcomes of conversations, including those dealing with controversial, deeply personal, or threatening disclosures, result not only from what is said but also from how listeners receive these messages. This article integrates the motivational framework of self-determination theory (SDT) and the expanding literature on interpersonal listening to explore the reasons why high-quality listening is so impactful during these conversations. We describe why high-quality listening is a specific and distinguishable autonomy-supportive motivational strategy, and argue that there is much to gain by considering that listening can satisfy basic psychological needs, in particular for autonomy and relatedness. We argue that SDT can help explain why high-quality listening is effective, especially in reducing defensiveness, bridging divides, and motivating change. The discussion focuses on ways motivation science can build more effective interventions for behavioral change by harnessing listening as an interpersonal strategy.

中文翻译：

---

在亲密而艰难的对话中倾听的激励价值

谈话的结果，包括那些处理有争议的、非常私人的或威胁性披露的谈话，不仅取决于所说的话，还取决于听众如何接收这些信息。本文整合了自我决定理论 (SDT) 的动机框架和不断扩大的人际倾听文献，以探讨高质量倾听在这些对话中如此具有影响力的原因。我们描述了为什么高质量的聆听是一种特定且可区分的支持自主性的激励策略，并认为考虑到聆听可以满足基本的心理需求，特别是自主性和相关性，有很多好处。我们认为 SDT 可以帮助解释为什么高质量的倾听是有效的，特别是在减少防御、弥合分歧和激励变革方面。