Stages of Change Model: The 6 Stages of Change

The stages of change model—or transtheoretical model (TTM)—lists six stages almost everyone must pass through to implement valuable, productive changes in their lives. These stages include reducing or eliminating unhealthy or addictive behaviors.

Psychologists Carlo DiClemente and James Prochaska developed the stages of change model in the late 1970s, particularly to help with smoking cessation. Since then, their work has found many applications to the behavior change process in general.

Change is an unfolding process with room for individualization. Still, these are the six stages of change almost everyone can expect to go through:

1. 1. Precontemplation: During the precontemplation stage, you likely won’t think you have any bad habits or problem behaviors worth addressing. You might move from precontemplation to contemplation if you participate in consciousness-raising activities (like researching the negative side effects of your current behaviors). Alternatively, it might take an external intervention to start the process of change.
2. 2. Contemplation: As you move from precontemplation into contemplation, the need to make a change becomes apparent. During the contemplation stage, consider making a decisional balance sheet where you weigh the pros and cons of maintaining a current behavior or substituting it with a new one. This early stage can also serve as an opportunity to perform an environmental reevaluation (e.g., seeing how your problematic behaviors affect others you love in your immediate social environment).
3. 3. Preparation: After you decide you want to make a change, you need to develop a plan. Throughout the preparation stage, start to think about how you can countercondition yourself away from problematic behaviors. Think about substitutes for old habits to keep yourself occupied.
4. 4. Action: In the action stage, you start implementing new behaviors. Start with small and manageable goals to build confidence in your ability to change. For example, if you want to run a marathon but haven’t exercised in years, try adding a little physical activity to your daily routine rather than exhausting yourself all at once. By achieving these small goals, you’ll start to realize you possess the self-efficacy to conquer bigger and bigger ones.
5. 5. Maintenance: Healthy behaviors require upkeep. Throughout the maintenance stage, the goal is to stay the course and avoid a relapse into substituting old problematic behaviors for your new healthy ones. Think about joining a support group for additional help. Ask for feedback from trusted friends and advisors who can help guide your decision-making process and assist you in remaining committed.
6. 6. Relapse: People change in a nonlinear way—it’s common to fall back into a problematic coping strategy while attempting to implement a more desired behavior. In a circumstance like this, perform some self-reevaluation. Ask whether you want to return to your goal of implementing a newly desired behavior. If the answer is yes, simply return to the earlier stages in this model of change and start fresh in your battle to implement healthier habits.

Change is hard, but it’s doable if you have the right strategies and support at your disposal. Keep these tips in mind as you strive to make a lifestyle change:

• Ask for help. The process of change can throw your emotional state into disarray at times, so ask your friends and mentors for social support. Society generally rewards healthy and positive behaviors (theorists call this phenomenon social liberation). When you focus on this kind of support when seeking change, you can find dramatic relief from your anxieties. In the meantime, consider reading self-help books or talking to a licensed professional about how to overcome negative behaviors.
• Find what motivates you. Focus on the benefits of changing. For example, suppose you want to make a health-related behavior change. In a general sense, you could do so simply to increase your own personal sense of well-being. In a more specific sense, focusing on how a healthier lifestyle can keep you alive and well to see your children or grandchildren grow up may push you to get to the next stage of change.
• Have grace for yourself. The stages of behavior change are malleable—there will be days when you feel all in and others when the cons of changing crowd your mind. Stimulus control (or ensuring you avoid negative triggers) is difficult, so be compassionate with yourself if you ever regress in meeting your goals. Throughout the entire process, forgive yourself if you stumble or relapse—just try again.
• Set manageable goals. Take small steps instead of giant leaps to pace yourself. Trying to complete a big change all at once is a recipe for discouragement. Think of all the New Year’s resolutions you’ve given up because they were too lofty. By focusing on small changes, you allow yourself to gradually build up to bigger ones without feeling overwhelmed.

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