Among the many problems facing behavioral psychotherapy, the main one, the solution of which was necessary for further progress by the beginning of the 80s, was the problem of understanding the process of behavior change. Behavior change theories explain the means and the reasons for altering one’s conduct (Han et al., 2017). This paper aims to view the transtheoretical model, which refers to the range of approaches that promote pattern alterations.
The process of behavior change has been studied from the point of view of various theories, so the model is called transtheoretical. A comprehensive model demonstrating changes in human behavior was developed by psychologists James Prochaska and Carlo DiClimente in 1994 (Han et al., 2017). In contrast to the commonly used definition of such as movement from a habitual unhealthy lifestyle to a stable, health-preserving behavior, this model also includes time gradations as stages of change.
The authors heavily relied on credible sources while compiling the model. The study of data on individuals who quit smoking on their initiative and participants in anti-smoking programs showed that they all passed the same stages. Initially, four steps were defined: preliminary thinking, deliberation, action, and maintenance (Liu et al., 2018). Later, another one was added — the preparation between thought and deed. Thus, the model of five stages was finally formed: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance.
In the first stage, the individual does not yet have a serious intention to change their unhealthy behavior – at least in the next six months. The contemplation stage is when one considers the possibility of altering their destructive demeanor in the next six months. At this point, an individual usually evaluates the pros and cons of their way of life as approximately equal (Liu et al., 2018). The preparation phase begins when humans intend to change their behavior within the next month. Usually, during the year before, some attempts have already been made, and now small but important steps are being taken in a new effort to get rid of the habit. The action stage includes six months following a decisive change in lifestyle and is characterized by the stable preservation of a new behavior style. The problem facing the individual is avoiding relapse (Hashemzadeh et al., 2019). Finally, maintenance includes the period after the expiration of half a year from the moment of an obvious behavioral change until the undesirable behavior is finally overcome.
The model is widely implemented in nutrition because it allows for better food-related behavioral patterns. For instance, when losing weight, one has to conceive the idea of eating healthy food. In the second stage, they must reconsider their current lifestyle’s pros and cons. The preparation presumes setting clear goals regarding changing the diet (Nakabayashi et al., 2020). Later, they add healthy food to their ration, eat, and exercise (Karintrakul & Angkatavanich, 2017). Finally, they sustain their current eating patterns to preserve the result. The other example is reducing the glucose level to stop diabetes development (Shen et al., 2020). It works the same way – one savors the idea, contemplates its advantages and disadvantages, prepares to substitute sugars with natural glucose, starts consuming fewer sugars, and observes the results.
In conclusion, the transtheoretical model is a behavioral change theory that allows for mild conduct alteration. It works slowly but efficiently, incorporating five stages: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. The more attempts are made, the closer a person comes to achieving his goal – a stable state of achieved behavioral change with the complete cessation of undesirable behavior or the acquisition of a desirable health-improving lifestyle.
References
Han, H., Pettee Gabriel, K., & Kohl, H. W. (2017). Application of the transtheoretical model to sedentary behaviors and its association with physical activity status. PloS one, 12(4), e0176330.
Hashemzadeh, M., Rahimi, A., Zare-Farashbandi, F., Alavi-Naeini, A. M., & Daei, A. (2019). Transtheoretical model of health behavioral change: A systematic review. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 24(2), 83–90.
Karintrakul, S., & Angkatavanich, J. (2017). A randomized controlled trial of an individualized nutrition counseling program matched with a transtheoretical model for overweight and obese females in Thailand. Nutrition Research and Practice, 11(4), 319–326.
Liu, K. T., Kueh, Y. C., Arifin, W. N., Kim, Y., & Kuan, G. (2018). Application of transtheoretical model on behavioral changes, and amount of physical activity among university’s students. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2402.
Nakabayashi, J., Melo, G.Ri. & Toral, N. (2020). Transtheoretical model-based nutritional interventions in adolescents: a systematic review. BMC Public Health, 20(1543), 1-14.
Shen, Y., Wang, T., Gao, M., Wang, F., Zhu, X., Zhang, X., Li, D., Gan, Y., Zhang, Y., Gao, Y., & Sun, X. (2020). Association of glucose control and stages of change for multiple self-management behaviors in patients with diabetes: A latent profile analysis. Patient Education and Counseling, 103(1), 214–219.