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How prepared to change are you? That's the keyby Patrick O'Neil, Ph.D.Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Here's a news flash from some well-known psychologists: If you don't want to make certain changes, or you're not ready to do so, you may not have much success making those changes. Admittedly it's not much of a surprise when you read it like that, so it's tempting to wonder why this principle should be cause for attention, much less a new self-help book. Begin your wondering with the past behavior change attempts that crashed and burned. You may find, if you're both honest and observant, that most of your failed efforts were efforts that you weren't ready to take on. For example, weight loss. Of course you were ready to lose weight each and every time you started a diet. But that wasn't the question. Were you ready to make the changes required to lose weight? Were you ready to give up nightly high-calorie snacks? Were you ready to start and maintain an exercise program? It's not a moral issue, just one of timing. In their book, “Changing for Good,” psychologists James Prochaska, John Norcross and Casrlo DiClemente explain for the layman how people go through different stages in the course of deliberately changing behaviors. The volume is not so much a self-help book as it is a self-examination book for people who have had trouble making important but difficult changes in behaviors such as eating, smoking, drinking, exercising, etc. Exploring the authors' ideas may help you to keep history from repeating itself. The authors in their research have noted that there seem to be six sequential stages of change that people progress through if they are successful at behavior change. Each stage requires different strategies to get to the next. The stages apply to an individual with respect to a specific behavior. You can be at different stages for different behaviors. Briefly, the stages are:
What keeps all this stage business from being merely academic is that the tools that work best to encourage change are different at each stage. What you should be doing depends on the stage you're in. If you're at the precontemplation stage regarding a weight problem, for example, you could be given a dozen diet books, free membership in a weight control program, and fancy exercise togs, but it's unlikely you'll put any of it to meaningful use. Exposing yourself to information about problematic consequences of not changing is one of the most productive “process of change” at the precontemplation stage. The author's discuss in their book the most productive strategies to employ during each of the other stages, with plenty of examples, and many practical tips including some on using and preserving your relationships while trying to change. New FOCUS program promotes weight loss, lifestyle
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