This is the second installment of the write-up on trans-theoretical model on health seeking behaviour, where we will be discussing the pre-contemplative and the contemplative stage.
Earlier, we visited the 3 general body types, or somatotypes, and learn that we are most likely somewhere in the spectrum between these 3, rather than purely endomorpic, mesomorphic of ectomorphic. Knowing your somatotype should help you in setting your realistic goal for change.
Then, we will be discussing the stages of change. Classically there are 5 stages of change namely the pre-contemplative, contemplative, preparation, action and the maintenance stage. We will also be looking at a model devised by a leadership guru, Dr John Kotter. His model describes 8 stages and mostly used in a business administrative setting, but also can be applied on a more personal level, to understand what you are going through.
I reckon, that if you're reading this, you're probably already in the contemplative stage, since a person who is in a pre-contemplative stage wouldn't be aware of the need to change, and has not weighted the pros and cons, usually underestimating the pros and overestimating the cons. Kotter's equivalent to pre-contemplative and contemplative phase is the establishment of urgency stage, where a person learns to identify threats of status quo and explore the opportunities for improvement.
A pre-contemplative person often believes that he has no need to change his current behaviour, or even if he does, he would presume that he has no control over it. This may be because lack of empowerment from his surroundings, poor understanding that the current behaviour is damaging or do not see the ill consequences of current behaviours.
It is easy to picture a guy that is nonchalant about his health behaviours as a obese, sedentary, burger chomping, cola gulping person, or a man ordering the third pint of beer, smoking his second pack of cigarettes and that's his 5th night in the pub that week. Yet, an average looking person working 8 hours a day, commuting 2 hours, eats out for convenience, spends few more hours at home finishing work or watching TV or surfing the Internet may not be a suspect for a stroke waiting to happen, but he may not be the role model of health and doesn't necessarily mean that he doesn't have to change anything to better his health too.
No amount of direct marketing or persuasion may change a person in a pre-contemplative stage, who himself is not ready for change. The approach to help them may be through passive absorption of information, through positive environment, overhearing health facts (or probably the best way to jump start a person's behaviour change -- through fear -- i.e. near death survival etc.) But don't quote me on the last bit :o)
A few questions to help a pre-contemplator to change:
- How do you recognise that you have a problem?
- Have you ever tried to change this behaviour in the past?
- What would have to happen for you to consider your behaviour a problem?
If a person starts to have these questions in mind, and perhaps considering a need to change, this phase is called the contemplative stage. At this stage, one becomes more aware of the benefits of making a healthy change as the pros begin to level or outweigh the cons.
In my case of trying to lose weight, one struggle I had was the conflict between self-love and the need to change what I don't like about myself. At one hand, friends who know my self-image issue helped by accepting myself in a positive way. Positive self-valuation and acceptance, I admit is very important for my own mental well-being, but there are more evaluated benefits for me to "not like" what I see in the mirror at that moment, and strive to achieve a healthier body weight, better exercise stamina and endurance, and perhaps as a side effect, I would love to see and be that chap in the mirror. So change, I must!
Next: So I'm ready to change, now what?
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transtheoretical_model
http://psychology.about.com/od/behavioralpsychology/ss/behaviorchange.htm
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