Prochaska and Diclemente’s transtheoretical model of change

The transtheoretical model helps us understand that every process of change is often not linear, but circular. It is an approach that is also often used in coaching.

The transtheoretical model of change arises with the objective of understanding how people change when faced with a certain addictive behavior. It was developed by psychologists James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente in 1982.

These researchers have tried to understand how and why people change, either on their own or with the help of a therapist. These authors have described a series of stages that a person who wants to go throughere quit a habit, such as the consumption of drugs or highly processed foods.
Likewise, it would also work for most of the year’s resolutions that most of us make. Hence, for example, it is a very useful tool in the field of coaching today.

The stages that define this model are applicable to the change that one proposes and carries out on one’s own, but also to the change helped by a therapist. That is to say, Whether in or out of therapy, people seem to go through similar phases, employing similarly similar processes.

Within this approach, Motivation is understood as the present state of a person or the stage of preparation for change. This is important, because many times we use the word “motivation” incorrectly. And motivation is essential for any process of personal change.

“The conduct of men allows us to conjecture certain things to which it must lead if they persevere in it,” said Scrooge, “but if they do not persevere in it, those things or ends will change. Tell me this is what will happen…what you want to show me!”

-Ebenezer Scrooge to the Ghost of Christmas Future, in Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol-

The wheel of change of the transtheoretical model of change

DiClemente and Prochaska (1982) conducted a study to demonstrate how their model could explain the process by which people quit smoking.

Read Also: Thinking a lot about memories means living too little.

The “wheel of change” that emerges from the Prochaska-DiClemente transtheoretical model of change admits the existence of four, five or six stages, in the form of a (circular) wheel.. Thus, people who consider eliminating an addictive behavior, such as tobacco, go through the different stages of the wheel, as if they were sliding along them.

Change is not linear

The fact that the wheel is a circle reflects a reality: in any process of change, the person circles around the process several times before reaching a stable change.

In their early research with smokers, for example, Prochaska and DiClemente found that smokers rotated around the wheel between three and seven times (with an average of about four times) before stopping in the desirable manner.This wheel also considers relapse as a normal event or another state of change. Sometimes, psychologists tell our patients: “each occasional use or relapse brings you one step closer to recovery.”

This does not mean, of course, that people are encouraged to relapse, not at all, but it is a realistic perspective to avoid becoming demotivateddemoralize or collapse when a relapse occurs.

1. Precontemplation stage

The entry point of the change process is the “precontemplation” stage. The person has not yet considered that they have a problem or that they need to make a change in their life. A “precontemplator” is someone who knows they have a problem, even if they are not aware of it.

2. Contemplation stage

Once an awareness of the problem appears, the person enters a period characterized by ambivalence: the “contemplation” phase. The contemplating person considers and rejects the change at the same time. The experience of the contemplator is described as a type of oscillation between reasons to change and reasons to continue in the same way.

Read Also: What is a false dilemma and why is it important to identify it?

A person with alcohol problems who is in this stage, for example, may say something like this: “I don’t think I have a problem with alcohol. I may drink too much for my health, but I don’t think I drink more than the rest of my friends. “I can stop drinking whenever I want.” As we see, It is a stage in which the person, despite having a problem, has a feeling of control.

3. Determination stage

The determination stage, within the transtheoretical model of change, is like a window for opportunity, opening the entrance to a new period of time. If during this time the person enters the action stage, the change process continues. If not, the person regresses to the contemplation stage.

4. Action stage

The “action” stage is what people most often think of as the beginning stage of therapy. Here the person is involved in actions that will lead to a change.

Most people who quit smoking, for example, do so on their own. The objective during this stage is to produce a change in the problem you want to solve. The intention to change, however, does not guarantee that the change will be maintained over time.

5. Maintenance stage

Here the challenge is to maintain the change achieved in the previous stage, and to prevent relapse.. Quitting drugs, reducing alcohol consumption or losing weight is an initial stage of change, followed by the challenge of maintaining abstinence or moderation.

6. Relapse

Finally, If relapse occurs, the person’s task is to start spinning around the wheel again. rather than remaining immobile at that stage. Stumbles or relapses are normal, to be expected when a person attempts to change any long-standing pattern of behavior.

Read Also: Indulging ourselves: necessary or harmful to our mental health?

As we have seen, the transtheoretical model of change involves a series of stages arranged in a circular manner. A person who wants to change an addictive behavior goes through these stages indefinitely, until he finally manages to maintain the change.

Elements of the transtheoretical model

In addition to motivation, There are two key elements within this model that influence behavior change. These are: decisional balance and self-efficacy. Let’s see them in detail.

Decisional balance

It is about the relative weight between the pros and cons of changing behavior, that each person assigns in their awareness process. According to the model, individuals in the precontemplation stage will see the cons of the change more easily than the pros. However, this balance will graduate towards the opposite side as people move through the other stages.

Thus, the pros will be more evident and relevant to those in the action and maintenance stages.

Self-efficacy

For its part, self-efficacy refers to the judgments and beliefs that a person has about his or her own abilities to successfully execute a certain task. In this sense, it helps to face difficult situations that may arise during the change process, thus avoiding relapses.