For the new year, did you resolve to exercise more, eat better, or quit smoking? If you are like most people, you’ll be enthusiastic for a few days, and then, well, “things” will get in the way. Using a little psychology, you can evaluate your New Year’s resolutions and develop an effective plan to accomplish your goals.
Stages of Change
Psychologists James Prochaska, John Norcross, and Carlo DiClemente have developed one of the most widely cited theories of change. Their Transtheoretical Model of Change centers around six stages: precontemplation; contemplation; preparation; action; maintenance; and termination (Prochaska, et al., 1994).
1. Precontemplation – not thinking about or interested in changing.
2. Contemplation – thinking about changing and evaluating the pros and cons, but have not yet taken any steps
3. Preparation – committing to change and developing a plan of what to do to achieve desired goals
4. Action – actually taking steps to change
5. Maintenance – taking action as needed to prevent slipping back or having a relapse
6. Termination – feeling confident in new behavior change with no temptation to slip back
When deciding on a New Year’s resolution, you should be careful not to bypass the very important preparation stage and jump straight to the action stage. If you have been a couch potato for the last five years and have just started thinking that you probably should exercise more (contemplation), setting a New Year’s resolution of running 7 miles every day (action) is probably too big a leap for most people – not just physically, but psychologically. Prochaska, Norcross, and DiClimente would suggest that your success is more likely if you first spend some time in the preparation stage, for example, solidifying your commitment to run, establishing a clear running schedule, having a plan for inclement weather, and mapping out a route.
Get Motivated!
Another factor that will help you stick with your New Year’s resolutions is a better understanding of your motivation. Motivation is simply your reason(s) for acting or behaving in a particular way.
Psychologists William Miller and Stephen Rollnick, experts in a counseling technique called Motivational Interviewing, assert that the question we should ask ourselves is not, “why aren’t I motivated?” but rather, “for what am I motivated?” (2002). What is your motivation for your particular New Year’s resolution (or any behavior for that matter)? What do you really want as a result? If you maintain your focus on why you want to achieve a particular goal, you will be more likely to achieve it. If you lose sight of your motivation – your reasons for doing what you’re doing – over time, you may find it hard to stick with your resolution.
Are You Sure?
Don’t be surprised if you find yourself slipping back into your old behavior, doing what you don’t want to do and not doing what you want to do. Until you form a new habit, you may become ambivalent about your goal. You may ask yourself, “Is this really worth it? Do I really want to do this?” Change is hard, it’s scary, and it comes at a cost, and therefore, Miller and Rollnick believe that ambivalence is a natural part of change. Part of you wants to change but another part of you does not. This is the classic “approach-avoidance” conflict. Miller and Rollnick contend that resolving your ambivalence is a key to change (2002).
One effective strategy to resolve your ambivalence is to identify the pros and cons of change. If you can conclude that the benefits of changing outweigh the benefits of remaining the same (and the costs of remaining the same are greater than the costs of changing), you will be well on your way to achieving your New Year’s resolutions.
With adequate commitment and preparation, you’ll be able to take appropriate and sustained action and before you know it, you’ll experience the lasting change you desire. Now that’s good psychology!
References
Miller, W. and Rollnick, S. (2002). Motivational interviewing: Preparing people for change (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Prochaska, J.O.; Norcross, J.C.; and DiClemente, C.C. (1994). Changing for good: The revolutionary program that explains the six stages of change and teaches you how to free yourself from bad habits. New York, NY: W. Morrow.
©2011 Peggy Mitchell Norwood | All rights reserved.
