Processes of Change

1. Consciousness-raising (Get the facts)

Increasing awareness via information, education, and personal feedback about the healthy behavior.

2. Dramatic relief (Pay attention to feelings)

Feeling fear, anxiety, or worry because of the unhealthy behavior, or feeling inspiration and hope when hearing about how people are able to change to healthy behaviors.

3. Self-reevaluation (Create a new self-image)

Realizing that the healthy behavior is an important part of who we want to be.

4. Environmental reevaluation (Notice your effect on others)

Realizing how our unhealthy behavior affects others and how we could have more positive effects by changing.

5. Social liberation (Notice public support)

Realizing that society is supportive of the healthy behavior.

6. Self-liberation (Make a commitment)

Believing in our ability to change and making commitments and re-commitments to act on that belief.

7. Helping relationships (Get support)

Finding people who are supportive of our change.

8. Counterconditioning (Use substitutes)

Substituting healthy ways of acting and thinking for unhealthy ways.

9. Reinforcement management (Use rewards)

Increasing the rewards that come from positive behavior and reducing those that come from negative behavior.

10. Stimulus control (Manage your environment)

Using reminders and cues that encourage healthy behavior and avoiding places that don't.

Transtheoretical Model