You want to establish whether a patient shows Gegenhalten on examination. Before revealing the answer, decide how you would assess this.

Test passive movement of a limb at more than one level of force, since the sign may not be obvious with only gentle passive movement and can become apparent only with a firmer attempt. Assess whether the resistance encountered matches the degree of force you are applying, since this force-matching quality is the key distinguishing feature from simple, fixed muscular rigidity of neurological origin. Compare the finding against the broader spectrum it sits on, considering whether the resistance is limited and force-matched (suggesting Gegenhalten), more marked and apparently motiveless across all forms of interference (suggesting negativism), or entirely absent regardless of pressure applied (suggesting Mitgehen), since these represent related but distinct points on the same continuum.