The Transtheoretical Model (Stages of Modify)

The Transtheoretical Model (also called the Stages of Change Model), developed past Prochaska and DiClemente in the late 1970s, evolved through studies examining the experiences of smokers who quit on their own with those requiring further handling to understand why some people were capable of quitting on their ain. Information technology was determined that people quit smoking if they were fix to do then. Thus, the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) focuses on the conclusion-making of the individual and is a model of intentional change. The TTM operates on the assumption that people exercise not alter behaviors quickly and decisively. Rather, alter in behavior, particularly habitual beliefs, occurs continuously through a cyclical process. The TTM is not a theory but a model; different behavioral theories and constructs tin can exist applied to various stages of the model where they may be virtually effective.

The TTM posits that individuals motility through six stages of change: precontemplation, contemplation, grooming, action, maintenance, and termination. Termination was not part of the original model and is less oft used in application of stages of change for health-related behaviors. For each stage of change, dissimilar intervention strategies are most effective at moving the person to the adjacent phase of modify and afterwards through the model to maintenance, the ideal stage of behavior.

  1. Precontemplation - In this stage, people do not intend to take action in the foreseeable future (defined equally within the side by side 6 months). People are frequently unaware that their beliefs is problematic or produces negative consequences. People in this stage oft underestimate the pros of irresolute behavior and place too much emphasis on the cons of irresolute beliefs.
  2. Contemplation - In this stage, people are intending to beginning the salubrious behavior in the foreseeable hereafter (defined every bit within the side by side six months). People recognize that their behavior may be problematic, and a more thoughtful and practical consideration of the pros and cons of changing the behavior takes place, with equal accent placed on both. Even with this recognition, people may yet feel clashing toward changing their beliefs.
  3. Training (Determination) - In this stage, people are ready to take action within the next 30 days. People outset to have small-scale steps toward the behavior change, and they believe irresolute their behavior tin can lead to a healthier life.
  4. Action - In this phase, people take recently inverse their behavior (defined every bit within the concluding 6 months) and intend to keep moving forrad with that behavior change. People may exhibit this past modifying their problem behavior or acquiring new healthy behaviors.
  5. Maintenance - In this stage, people have sustained their beliefs change for a while (defined as more than vi months) and intend to maintain the beliefs change going forrard. People in this stage work to prevent relapse to before stages.
  6. Termination - In this phase, people have no desire to return to their unhealthy behaviors and are sure they volition not relapse. Since this is rarely reached, and people tend to stay in the maintenance stage, this stage is oftentimes not considered in health promotion programs.

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To progress through the stages of modify, people apply cognitive, affective, and evaluative processes. Ten processes of change have been identified with some processes being more relevant to a specific phase of change than other processes. These processes outcome in strategies that aid people make and maintain modify.

  1. Consciousness Raising - Increasing awareness nigh the good for you beliefs.
  2. Dramatic Relief - Emotional arousal about the health beliefs, whether positive or negative arousal.
  3. Cocky-Reevaluation - Self reappraisal to realize the good for you behavior is function of who they want to be.
  4. Ecology Reevaluation - Social reappraisal to realize how their unhealthy beliefs affects others.
  5. Social Liberation - Ecology opportunities that exist to show society is supportive of the good for you beliefs.
  6. Self-Liberation - Delivery to change beliefs based on the belief that accomplishment of the good for you behavior is possible.
  7. Helping Relationships - Finding supportive relationships that encourage the desired change.
  8. Counter-Conditioning - Substituting healthy behaviors and thoughts for unhealthy behaviors and thoughts.
  9. Reinforcement Direction - Rewarding the positive behavior and reducing the rewards that come from negative behavior.
  10. Stimulus Control - Re-engineering the surroundings to have reminders and cues that support and encourage the good for you behavior and remove those that encourage the unhealthy behavior.

Limitations of the Transtheoretical Model

In that location are several limitations of TTM, which should be considered when using this theory in public health. Limitations of the model include the following:

  • The theory ignores the social context in which change occurs, such as SES and income.
  • The lines between the stages can be arbitrary with no set criteria of how to decide a person's stage of change. The questionnaires that accept been developed to assign a person to a stage of modify are not always standardized or validated.
  • There is no clear sense for how much time is needed for each stage, or how long a person can remain in a stage.
  • The model assumes that individuals make coherent and logical plans in their controlling process when this is not always truthful.

The Transtheoretical Model provides suggested strategies for public health interventions to accost people at various stages of the decision-making process. This tin can result in interventions that are tailored (i.e., a message or plan component has been specifically created for a target population's level of knowledge and motivation) and effective. The TTM encourages an assessment of an individual's electric current stage of change and accounts for relapse in people's decision-making procedure.

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