Incorporating Prochaska's Stages of Change in Personal Well Being

As humans, we are dynamic, constantly changing, and in most cases, looking for ways to improve our well being. There are two types of change which include chosen change and imposed change. Imposed change is significantly more challenging in comparison choosing to change, because those that are forced to change may not think they have a problem, or they may have no desire to change. For purposes of this article, we will look at chosen change.

Prochaska and colleagues thoroughly described the six stages of change. These stages include

• precontemplation
• Contemplation
• Preparation
• Action
• Maintenance
• Termination

The first stage, which is precontemplation, is essentinally a denial of the problem. Many people in imposed change might see themselves in this phase. This phase precedes the process of change. However, for chosen change, which will be the main emphasis here, people generally begin at the contemplation phase.

When a person decides to change something about their behavior or habits, whether it may be loosing weight, quitting smoking, or preventing over consumption of monetary goods,  they realize they have a problem and brainstorm possible solutions. This is a highlight of the contemplation phase. There is more focus on the problem, and while possible solutions are considered at this stage, a person can stay in the contemplation phase for a while. They might even relapse into the precontemplation phase. For example, a smoker may realize he has to quit smoking to protect his health, but because he has uncertainties during the contemplation stage as to whether or not he can make those changes, he might get stuck in this stage. It is also possible for him to relapse into precontemplation and deny  smoking as a problem.

Different from Contemplation is preparation.  While brainstorming possible solutions is progress towards change, it is not necessarily preparing for change. During the preparation phase of change, a practical, and long term plan must be considered. This plan tells us what our action should be, and what we may do if we fall back into hold habits. It is important to spend some time in this stage because the goal of making a change in our lives is to make sure its long term. During the preparation stage, the focus is on the future and the solution. This is different from contemplation where more emphasis is placed on the existence of a problem. It is important to remember that a plan for change must be realistic and short cuts generally do not work. It is also important to keep in mind that change does not happen overnight, or even in a year. Changing something is gradual, and takes effort and time.

Once a plan of action has been made, the next step in change is action. It is crucial to understand that action does not equal change. Although when someone is engaging in activities in order to change, it does not mean they have completed the process of change. Action is just one step in change.

When action has been put into place, the hardest step in the process of change is maintenance. For example, a person struggling to loose weight will work hard to eat right and exercise.  However, the hardest part  is maintaining the new habits and behaviors, and preventing relapses into old habits. Without a strong maintenance plan, people can find themselves in previous phases in the process of change such as precontemplation or contemplation.

When successful change has been made, the termination phase takes place. In order for successful change to be established, new habits must replace old ones. When a person who once used to overspend no longer has the desire to splurge on monetary objects,  change has been implemented. Remember, the goal of change is to improve our well being and for that change to last.

As mentioned before, change is a process. The stages of change as described by Prochaska is not linear. This means that people do not move from one stage to the next in a linear fashion. Instead, change can be thought of as a spiral model. When people attempt to make a change in their life, it is common to fall back on previous stages. For example, a person who is trying to cut back on how much fat they eat may successfully reach the maintenance stage, but not have enough will power to cut back on sweets. This might cause them to return to preparation phase where they think of a more practical solution. Whatever the case may be, the key is not to become discouraged. Any set backs towards old habits and old attitudes should be looked at as a learning tool. When we learn from our weaknesses, we ultimately become stronger, and much more capable of change.