PERSONAL CHANGE
Chapter 7
Objectives
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
Identify factors that influence our view of change
Differentiate individual behaviors and characteristics according to Prochaska’s Stages of Change model
Summarize factors to consider when faced with a decision
Recognize components necessary to sustain behavior change
2
What Would You Like to Change?
Ask yourself the following questions:
What am I doing now that I want to stop doing?
What am I not doing now that I want to do?
What am I doing now that I would like to increase?
What am I doing now that I would like to decrease?
Choose one thing you would like to change and write it down.
Introduction
For all of us, each day ushers in all kinds of changes, great and small
Some changes occur without conscious effort
Making changes to manage stress carries an even greater benefit
Increases chances of success in changing health behaviors
4
Choosing Change
Things outside of our comfort zone may be stressful
Limited vision due to past experiences (e.g., existing ideas, biases, and fears)
Every time you learn something new, you expand possibilities and enhance coping abilities
Expanded range of knowledge and capacity to grow
5
Write-down: Choosing Change
What is the biggest change you have experienced in your life?
Whenever you stretch yourself to understand another point of view, you change your range of knowledge
When you tackle a challenging task and dare to fail, you change your capacity to grow
Why Change Seems Stressful
Misconception: you have to change who you are for personal change
The problem never is and never will be who you are; the problem—and what you may need to change—is what you do
You are more than the sum of your habits
You can change your behaviors and still feel, not just like yourself but also like the best possible and most complete version of yourself
7
What You Need to Know about Change
Personal change:
Demands no prerequisites
Occurs in steps
Proceeds better with scientifically tested tools
Replaces old habits with new skills
Requires time as well as effort
8
What You Can and Can’t Change
There are things you cannot change
Example: the weather
To make a change you have to do two things
Repeat new actions in order to forge new connections in the brain
Resist the natural tendency to follow the well-trod path of least resistance
9
The Stages of Change
Psychologists have developed many theories about why we do the things we do
Some theories emphasize the role of the unconscious; others focus on the dynamics of our relationships
Prochaska identified various stages that people move through
From being clueless, to conscious, to committed to making a change
10
The Stages of Change
Copyright © 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Figure 7.1 The stages of change form a dynamic spiral
11
Precontemplation
The person has no intention of making a change
May feel stressed or sense that something is not quite right or not quite the way they want it to be, but have not identified exactly what is wrong
Change remains hypothetical, distant, vague, and seems unlikely
12
Contemplation
The person acknowledges that something is amiss
Begins to consider what it is and whether something can be done about it
Still has preference for no change
Realizes that reality cannot be avoided
13
Are You Contemplating a Change?
The way you talk to yourself expresses your feeling that change is necessary but demonstrates lack of commitment
Examples of how the contemplation stage sounds:
“I’ve got to do something about this”
“I can’t go on this way”
“I hate that I keep . . .” or “I should . . .”
“I’m fed up”
Preparation
The person stops flip-flopping, makes a clear decision, and feels a burst of energy
Gathers information, makes phone calls, researches online, and looks into ways to make the change
Begins to think and act with change specifically in mind, even if something is held back
Becomes internally accustomed to the idea of change and the impact it will make
15
Action
The person starts actively modifying behavior according to the plan
Resolve is strong, and he knows he is on the way to being a better version of himself
Change produces signs that are visible to others
Things mulled over and incubated for years unfold quickly
Sense of comfort and ease with the change is acquired
16
Maintenance
The person enters the stabilizing stage, locking in and consolidating gains
Necessary to retain what was worked for and to make change permanent
Strengthens, enhances, and extends the changes initiated
Brings remaining things into line with the change to support it
17
Relapse
Relapse or reverting to old behaviors
Often part of the process of change
Behavioral change is a process rather than a one-time event
People often spiral through the various stages several times before the desired change becomes stable
18
Check-in: The Stages of Change
Read through the descriptions of the stages of change again, and ask yourself: where am I?
Precontemplation
Contemplation
Preparation
Action
Maintenance
Relapse
19
Create a Behavioral Change Plan
Fill out the behavioral change worksheet
Share your behavioral change plan with others in a small groups (3-5 people)
I encourage you to choose a change partner or buddy to meet with on a regular basis to share your progress on specific goals and tasks, and set goals for the next check-in. If feeling discouraged, you can turn to your change partner for support and suggestions to keep them moving. If making similar changes—such as improving their fitness—you could arrange to jog together or meet at the gym.
Is This the Best Time to Make a Change?
Yes; if you wait for change to happen spontaneously or for circumstances to change, you will keep waiting
Postponing change is not simply postponing; it is a failure to act
Believing that you missed your chance is a way to justify not changing
There is no one single moment, no one single choice, that defines a life
21
Making Personal Change Inevitable
Declaring you cannot change wastes time you could be using to make change inevitable
Change is inevitable—if you do the work
Commit quietly but fully and vow not to stop
Create a concrete plan and break it down into finite steps
Follow the plan consistently
Persist even when you feel you are over your head and when efforts seem to have no apparent effect
22
Are You Getting in Your Own Way?
Small patterns migrate from specific situations and grow into big, generalized patterns
Begin to view a simple habit as who you fundamentally are
Achieving any important, satisfying goal takes time and work
Signing on only for what is immediately fun and easy shrinks life down to a limited range of shallow activities and blocks change
23
Changing for Good
Every day you face choices, including the choice of change
Regardless of what you choose, choices have consequences; you can make better choices
Set priorities
Inform yourself
Consider all your options
Tune in to your gut feelings
Consider a worst-case scenario
24
Summary
When you deliberately change a nonproductive thought, feeling, or behavior, you are choosing to take control
Your time, health, relationships, achievements, and future
The decision to move from where you are requires a concrete plan
Change takes time but becomes inevitable with persistence
25