How does behavior change happen?

The New Year is just around the corner! With it, new goals and objectives. This is a time for reflection, to evaluate what we want to keep and what we want to leave behind.

It's time to plan the changes needed in the New Year.

But sometimes, for changes to be effective they have to happen at the right time, with the right motivation.

What stage of change are you in, in your New Year's resolutions?

Pre-contemplation

At this stage, the person still denies the existence of a problem that needs to be changed. Even if others try to warn that something might be wrong, the person cannot (or doesn't want to) notice the problem.

Contemplation

At this stage, the person begins to recognize that there may be something to change in their behavior. It is a phase marked by thoughts of ambivalence and negotiation, where he/she begins to assess the advantages and disadvantages of change.

Preparation

This is the stage where determination reigns. Motivation has arrived and indecision is a thing of the past. The person is ready to act, it is the time to organize and make practical plans.

Action

This is the phase of action! The person starts taking concrete steps to reach his/her goal. Since it is an initial phase of change, it may be necessary to spend more energy to maintain the new behavior. Equally, you may need help or monitoring to get it into practice. It is a time to evaluate and correct the plans made in the previous phase.

Maintenance

In this phase, the desired behavior is consolidated. The person is now aware of what he/she needs to do to maintain the behavior. He/she recognizes the improvements this change has brought and doesn't think to go back. At this stage it is important to have constant self-awareness of possible triggers that can lead to relapse.

Relapse

Relapse is a part of behavior change, it doesn’t mean failure, but it represents a necessity to go back to the beginning. At this stage there may be feelings of failure, frustration and sadness. However, this phase can be seen as a form of learning, an opportunity to assess what was missing from the plans created and what should be taken into account in the future. In order to enter the preparation phase with a new perspective that will help maintain the healthy behavior.

Transtheoretical Model of Change (Prochaska and DiClemente, 1983)