Behavior change, however, tends to be challenging for most people. One change, flossing the back upper teeth regularly, was required. Since the odds of anyone making multiple changes simultaneously are low, offering only one small change at a time typically produces more action. Finally, she made it feel like a suggestion rather than a command. This nuance really matters.
Nobody likes to feel as if they're being bossed around.
We dislike it from our supervisors, reject it from our peers, and rebel against it from our parents. Other adults deserve to be treated like adults, even if their behavior has been irresponsible. They've been conditioned to check their personal power at the door and put the clinician on a pedestal. Such interaction creates a parent-child relationship that can cause the patient to rebel after leaving the office, leading to dangerous noncompliance. The same holds true when the communication is between parent and child, spouses, business colleagues, and friends.