Transtheoretical Model Essay

The process of change describes how people change. These processes of change are divided into two categories; cognitive and behavioral. Cognitive is the thinking process of change and behavioral is the action process of change. The transtheoretical model suggests that people use different strategies, techniques or different amounts of each at different stages in their change process. Self-efficacy refers to confidence and an individual’s experience with confidence to perform specific behaviors in specific situations. Self-efficacy is a good predictor of behavior change. An individual with higher self-efficacy may be more likely to change a behavior even if the situation doesn’t have any positive reinforcements (Campbell, Eichhorn, Early, Caraccioli, Greely, 2012).

The Transtheoretical Model of Change has become popular over the past few decades in explaining health behaviors like substance and alcohol abuse, dieting, and smoking cessation. It has four parts to it, the first being the stages of change. The Stages of Change Model gives explanations for different points on the path to intentional behavioral change (Vilela, Jungerman, Laranjeira, & Callaghan, 2009). Intentional behavioral changes are changes in the habitual patterns of behavior that are related to issues such as substance or alcohol abuse. There are six steps in the Stages of Change Model: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and

In this part of my assignment I will describe 2 different theories of behaviour change in relation to health.

Exercise behavior is the study of theories which work to explain actions and phenomenon’s that occur when looking at peoples perspectives of exercise. One overall theory called The Transtheoretical model (TTM), includes elements from “across a variety of theories and models behavior, some of which are social-cognitive in nature and some of which are not” (79). The TTM describes five stages of behavior change: Precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance. By using TTM as the base of multiple theories, a greater picture of exercise behavior is created to understand how individuals become interested and continue to make a life style that involves normal exercise.

The transtheoretical model helps explain the patient’s behavior change related to the health aspects. As per this change agent, the patient’s purposeful behavior change consists of the cognitive and the performance-based elements. The five stages of the model are precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and the maintenance stage (Virginia Tech Continuing & Professional Education, n.d.).

Prochaska & DiClemente’s (1984) research suggests the Prochaska & DiClemente’s model of change is effective and has an impact in health promotion. The Prochaska & DiClemente’s model of change is becoming a more popular and widely used resource for health promotion; this is because it can be applied with a number of addictive behaviours such as smoking, drug use and alcohol abuse (Whitelaw, et al, 2000). The Prochaska & DiClemente’s model of change has six stages these include, Pre contemplation this is when the patient is not seriously considering change, Contemplation This is when the patient is thinking about change, Preparation when the

The intrapersonal model focuses on health promotion and health education efforts in order to increase awareness of health-related issues among individuals, such as knowledge, attitudes, personal beliefs, and the individual’s skill set (Riegelman and Kirkwood, 2015). This is important because it zeros in on the individual and what they know and can do in order to allow for change. One of the many models within the intrapersonal theory is the transtheoretical model, also known as the stages of change model. The transtheoretical model’s constructs are that the individual goes through incremental stages when changing a behavior instead of making big changes all at the same time (Riegelman and Kirkwood, 2015). The first construct is the precontemplation stage, where the individual has not yet thought about changing their behavior. Next, is the contemplation stage, where the individual is actively thinking about the pros and cons of change. Then the next stage is preparation, where the individual is thinking about a plan of action. Next, is the action stage, where the change is taking place in the individual’s behavior. Finally, the maintenance stage, where the change becomes a permanent change in the individual’s lifestyle. (Riegelman and Kirkwood, 2015). The importance in this model is the ability

The Transtheoretical Model is a theory of health behavior that suggests that behavior change is a process, not an event. There are five stages of change someone can go through while attempting to engage in positive behavior: precontemplation, no intention to act within six months; contemplation, intention to act within six months; preparation, intention to act within the next thirty days along with some behavioral steps; action, changed behavior for less than six months, maintenance, changed behavior for more than six months; termination, end of the behavior. These stages are not linear, so an individual can move up and down the stages of change indiscriminately.

The Transtheoretical Model of Behaviour Change (TTM) is a model of intentional change that emerged from a comparative analysis of leading theories of behaviour change and psychotherapy. The TTM is guided by a set of assumptions with the primary assumptions supposing that individuals move through stages of change and the challenges and processes one experiences differ at each given stage. This appraisal will outline the five core constructs of this model, highlighting one key strength and limitation that has been identified and conclude with a critical analysis of the models utility to inform and address behaviour change.

The transtheoretical model focuses on the process involved in changing problems, instead of solely focusing on the problems, and is concerned with identifying where patients are on the trajectory of the stages of change and assessing their motivation to advance through the stages. Social work clinicians can employ motivational interviewing, which is an evidence-based intervention within this theory, to work with patients as they learn to change their unhealthy behaviors and improve their physical and behavioral health. A limitation of this model pertains to its focus on consciousness decision-making instead of sufficiently addressing that deeply embedded behaviors automatic reactions, that do not incorporate conscious decision-making (Langer

It is irrefutable that the formulation of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM), has efficaciously contributed to current perspectives in health psychology, allowing for a greater understanding in facilitating healthy behaviour change (Adam & White, 2003). TTM is a comprehensive six-stage theory which logically describes behaviour change as a process rather than a single event, providing the pathway to a more enduring and successful outcome (Adam & White, 2003; Prochaska, 2008). These stages include: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance, which occur cyclically in the event of relapses, until temptation is no longer present, resulting in termination (Marshall & Biddle, 2001; Prochaska, 2008).

This article provided a definition of the Trans Theoretical model of behavior change and provided ways to support change based on the client’s stage of change. The Trans theoretical model (TTM) is a tool that can be used to promote behavior change. The TTM focuses on the decision making of the individual and intentional behavior change. Although the TTM was originally designed to describe changes in addictive behavior, it has recently expanded to include preventive health behavior change. The TTM says that people do not change all at once, rather they move through a series of five stages toward behavior change. These five stages include pre contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. Table 2 from the article provided

At this stage, the individual makes the intent to adopt a healthy behaviour within the next six months. During this stage individual value the positive change. However, they still may evade doing the action. The person thinks about exercise but does not act on. For example, the person attempts to take up a new activity but not likely to act on that thought. At this stage, the person begins to contemplate about modifying their behaviour.

The Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change (TTM) was created by Prochaska and DiClemente. It is based on “(1) the stages of change, (2) the decisional balance scale, (3) the strong and weak principle, (4) self-efficacy, and (5) the processes of change” (Kelly, 2008, p. 149). A person’s progression through the stages depends on their perception of the advantages of adopting a healthy lifestyle (Kelly, 2008).

Doctors have recently realized that physical inactivity isn’t just an ordinary issue that can be eliminated with a few hours of exercise a week. Every minute wasted sitting motionless and inactive undoubtedly increases a person’s risk of developing harmful diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and eventually death if not properly treated. Small changes start to occur as the body sets into a lethargic state; blood circulation slows down and as a result, metabolic processes take an extensive amount of time to perform. The unnecessary exertion of pressure on the body causes detrimental outcomes on a person’s health. One study demonstrated that “adults and kids who incorporate small, light activities into their day, break up their bouts of sitting with frequent small breaks -to stand and stretch, walk across the room, jump up and down or buzz to the water cooler -have better metabolic profiles” (Ryan). By making little changes throughout ones day, like taking the stairs or stretching every few hours, can be the difference between developing a chronic disease or staying healthy.