Running head: STAGES OF CHANGE 1
STAGES OF CHANGE 7
Prochaska's Transtheoretical Model of Change
Lindsey Crowninshield
Salve Regina University
Prochaska's Transtheoretical Model of Change
When we think of an individual trying to change a troublesome behavior, we typically focus on, or are aware of, only the action part of their effort. But, in fact, the action they take is only a small part of the process of change. Process is the operative word here because it is not a single event that occurs but an unfolding that takes place by way of a series of changes. James Prochaska developed his transtheoretical model (TTM) of change in the 1980's at the University of Rhode Island to explain this process. In his original study he looked at approximately 1,000 people over the course of two years who were trying to quit smoking (Prochaska 1983). Prior to Prochaska's research much of what we knew about people trying to effect change in their lives, or modify a specific behavior, involved details and ideas about their personalities or possible psychopathologies.
These theories explored and focused on the reasons why people did not change. Prochaska's theory was a paradigm shift that examined and discovered how people undergo changes (Prochaska 1992). In this paper I will describe the theory further, identify and describe the Stages of Change as well as the Processes of Change, and ultimately, discuss this theory as it relates to working with groups.
The Transtheoretical Model of Change (TTM) developed by James Prochaska recognizes and establishes a framework of 6 stages of change that people travel through as they attempt to change a behavior in their lives. The first stage of precontemplation represents a time in which most people are relatively unaware of the problem even though their friends and family usually are.