EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
To quote this book directly, “WELCOME OR NOT, change is unavoidable.” The book, Changing for Good was written by not only one but three practicing psychiatrists. James O. Prochaska, John C. Norcross, and Carlo C. Diclemente spent over twelve years and conducted over fifty different studies on thousands of participating individuals to find exactly what it is that causes people to intentionally change. Their research has been said to have caused a revolution in the in the science of behavior change. The old way of describing change was one that viewed change as dramatic and discrete, this viewpoint causes people to enroll in brief programs in which they are expected to change their habits and chose healthier lifestyles. This theory is flawed because that is only one step of six that a person must go through before they can change behavior for good.
As we all know major lifestyle changes are hard and not very easy to accept. That is what makes this book so interesting. The writers have defined the six step model in this book to first identify what stage of change the reader is in and secondly to complete that desired change and to not have a relapse. It is stated in this book that everyone can change. It sounds silly but some people may think that change has an expensive price tag on it because of groups or therapy. This is not entirely true, self changers, people who want to change and do so without professional help, are able to benefit from the text as well.
For those that may be thinking that this book is lame, this next paragraph could change your opinion. The six stages are proven steps that everyone takes in every choice that they make in life. This book walks you through the steps of change like a map. The steps are: Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, Maintenance and Termination. An example could be someone who is trying to eat better. The Precontemplation stage would be that person telling himself or herself internally that just one treat won’t hurt them. When someone is in this stage it is hard to get out without help from someone. The next stage would be Contemplation in which he or she would try to reason that they want the snack but don’t need it. In this stage a person wants to change but is still resisting. Next he or she would be in the Preparation stage where the person is still not all the way ready to say no to the treat but is confident in not taking it. As you can see this is the third step and still the right choice is not made. Next in the Action stage, the person would at this point not take the snack. Finally they said no but this is not the end of the road. The Maintenance stage is where things get really hard, this is pretty much where the person would fail and relapse back to eating unhealthy again. But if they can get through that Termination is next, this is where the person would never eat unhealthy again. This one can go many ways, never again or sometimes is usually the end result of this stage.
So as you can see, change is a very tricky thing to really accomplish if you do not know what to expect. This book will supply you with the knowledge needed to make any changes that you want in your life so I hope if you need help changing you will read it.
THE TOP TEN THINGS TO BE LEARNED
The ten concrete things practicing managers should take from this book are:
1. Change happens weather we like it or not
2. Changing something takes a lot of time and effort
3. Relapse is a tool not a hindrance
4. You have to be patient with change
5. Everyone can change if they are willing to try
6. You have to fulfill all the steps to change
7. Shortcuts result in failure
8. Some people need help changing
9. Willpower alone is not enough
10. Finally, be aware of the people around you, they may see something about you that needs to change and you never knew it was there.
FULL SUMMARY OF CHANGING FOR GOOD
Introduction
-The authors of the book decided to break it into two parts to cover both the science behind their method and the application of their method. The first half of the book discusses different forms of psychotherapy, as well as some of the research that the authors used to develop their model.
Part One: The Science
How You Change
- There is no one system of psychotherapy that is better than the other to help with change. If there was it would be a house hold name. The authors have made it there life’s work to find what causes people to change without the benefit of psychotherapy. Prochaska specifically wanted to research the people who he refers to as self changers. These are the people who change without the help of psychotherapy because they cannot afford it or for some other reason.
- This research proved that there is no specific cure all for change because of the numerous different ways in which people change.
- Like most things in life affective change is all about timing. Different processes are used at different times in the stages of change. The next few bullets are going to be different process that are used to help in the process of change, however these were used before the writers developed their method. They will be bolded to help identify them.
-The most commonly used change process was developed by Sigmund Freud and is called Consciousness-raising. This process is one that encompasses any knowledge that furthers information about yourself or the nature of your problem.
- Social liberation is a process in which any new alternatives or external environments help you to begin or continue your change efforts.
- Emotional arousal is a process where a person becomes aware of his or her defenses against change.
- Self reevaluation is the process where a person gives thought to how their behavior affects their personal values.
- Commitment is the process of choosing and committing to act.
- Countering is the process of substituting alternatives for problem behaviors.
- Environment Control is where people avoid stimuli that elicit problem
behaviors.
- Reward is the process in which a person rewards them self or someone else rewards them for making changes.
- Helping Relationships is where a person seeks the help of someone who cares, this person will help to support them and motivate change.
When You Change
- The writers decided at this point to start doing experiments with smokers. There seems to be a larger number of smokers in society than most other addictions so they felt like this was a good demographic to start with. They interviewed over two hundred people and stumbled across a person who was detrimental to the writers’ research. She explained that she used the different change processes at different times, in some of which she used none. This lead to the break thru that change unfolds through a series of stages.
- Each one of these stages is a predictable, well defined stage that takes place in a period of time and has a set list of tasks that must be completed before moving onto the next stage. This does not mean that a person will move directly from one stage to another, they can get stuck on a stage. The key to this cycle of change is understanding what each step demands in order to progress to the next.
- There are six well defined stages of change and they are Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, Maintenance and Termination.
- Precontemplation is the stage where people do not see that they have a problem but everyone around them can clearly see it.
- Contemplation is the stage where people acknowledge that they have a problem and begin to think seriously about solving it.
- Preparation is the stage where people are planning to take action within the next month and they are making the final adjustments before they begin to change.
- Action is the stage where people most overtly modify their behavior and surroundings.
- Maintenance is the stage where a person must keep up the change and not slip back into relapse or lapses.
- Termination is the final stage where a person has changed for good and will not slip back into relapse or have any urges to lapse.
- It is very common for a person to relapse and to go through parts of the cycle numerous times before they actually reach the final stage and won’t relapse again.
Making Changes
- The writers performed more studies and the results of which were non conclusive. However, one night Prochaska decided to remove people who relapsed form their findings and all became clear. The people in the study helped to develop systematic relationships between the stages and processes of change.
- This new information was based on successful self changers whose wisdom can now serve as a field guide to help lead people through change.
- Now armed with this information there are four myths that have to be busted.
-Myth one says: Self change is simple, but as we all know self change is not simple. Myth two states: It just takes willpower; this is wrong because it take more than only will power to affective change. Myth three says: I’ve tried everything nothing works; this too is wrong because a process might have been used at the wrong time so it was ineffective. Myth four says: People don’t really change, well if that was case this book would be pointless, but the fact is that people can really change.
- The last thing in this chapter is to figure out what stage of change you are in. There are four statements that you can answer yes or no thus figuring out what stage you are in. The statements are: 1) I solved my problem more than six months ago, 2) I have taken action on my problem in the last six months, 3) I am intending to take action in the next month, and 4) I am intending to take action in the next six months.
-If you answered no to all the statements you are in the Precontemplation stage.
If you answered no to all except 4 you are in the Contemplative stage. Those in the Preparation stage will answer yes to statements 3 and 4. If you answered yes to 2 and no to 1 you are in the Action stage. You are in the Maintenance stage when you answer yes to 1. And you might be a red neck if …. Never mind.
Part Two: The Application
- In this second part of the book, the authors discuss different applications of the method they developed.
Precontemplation- Resisting Change
- The first subject that is discussed in this chapter is the attitudes of precontemplaters. These groups of people feel demoralized and they often feel like their cause is hopeless. The fact is that they will most likely stay in this stage unless someone helps them. These people actively resist change because of their feeling that “fate” is keeping them from achieving their goal.
- The next subject discussed in this chapter is the defenses of precontemplaters. Every person develops psychic protectors in their lives. These defenses protect our mind from threats both real and imagined. However they can also distort our vision on things, this leads to people not being able to see the problems in front of them. The author makes it very clear that a person must break down his or her defenses so they can fix the problems they wish to fix.
-Lastly the processes of consciousness-raising or social liberation must be completed in order to move to the next stage.
Contemplation- Change on the Horizon
- Contemplators wish to change but they are resisting change unknowingly at the same time. This resistance comes from the fact that people are creatures of habit and they deeply fear change.
- The process of emotional arousal is used in this step. Our emotions can give us the boost of energy that is needed to do something that we don’t want to do, even change. This boost can cause a person to move from this step to the preparation and action stages.
- If consciousness-raising was used to get to this stage from Precontemplation, the defenses a person has will be lower and they will be able to further examine their problem and its effects on them.
- The last process in this stage is self-reevaluation. Through this process a person can prove to oneself that their problem is in conflict with their essential values. This leads to a greater desire to solve their problem
- After the completion of these processes it is time to move to the Preparation stage.
Preparation- Getting ready
- During this step a person must get the things that will help them change together. This encompasses everything form physical supplies to mental preparation.
- Again in this step a person continues to self-reevaluate. This is used to help focus on the future and the new person someone can become. This process will help to increase the chances of success because the outcome can be seen somewhat.
- The process of Commitment also falls under this step. This not only a
willingness to act, but also a belief in your ability to change, which leads to will being increased. This process will help a person harden their resolve.
- After these processes are completed, the Action stage is next.
Action- Time to Move
- The action stage is one in which failure is a very possible outcome. It may take weeks or months for this stage to be completed. In this stage the focus is on the processes of control, countering, and reward, with a continuing emphasis on the importance of helping relationships.
- The process of countering is used in this step. Countering is one of the most powerful tools a person can use to change because it exchanges healthy good things for the problematic behaviors. An example of this would be exercise or something along those lines.
- Environmental control is another process used in this step. Unlike countering were a person changes their responses toward a situation, environmental control makes a person change the situation itself. This will lead to a person not putting themselves in the middle of the problem that they are trying to change. Drinkers should avoid bars; this is a statement to sum up the idea of this process.
- The reward process is also used in this step. This is where people are rewarded for making the right choices and punished when they chose poorly.
- With these process fulfilled a person can move to the next step, Maintenance.
Maintenance- Staying There
- The Maintenance stage is the hardest stage in the cycle. All of the hard work people have put into change up to now has to be kept up and used to maintain all that has been achieved. If a person fails to do so they will relapse and maybe even have to start the cycle over.
- In this stage a person needs to make their old habit have no value to them whatsoever, but they must realize that they are still vulnerable to the old habit until this actually happens.
- Unlike the previous stages there are no “set” processes to follow in this stage.
- If a person can endure this stage they are almost home free. This will lead to the Termination stage.
Recycling- Learning from Relapse
- There are ten important lessons to learn from relapse, these will be bolded below. The authors also included some information in this chapter for people who self change is not working for. They included sections about seeking professional help and where to do so. But seeing as this is a book report about the main part of the book I will only discuss the ten lessons only. Everyone is different so only they can decide when they need to seek help.
- Few changers terminate the first time around. It is extremely rare that someone can change a habit one the first try.
- Trail and error is inefficient. If a person learns the processes that go along with each stage of change they can change much faster than someone who is guessing as they go.
- Change costs more than you budgeted. People do not realize that change takes a lot more time, energy, and sometimes money then they could possibly imagine.
- Using the wrong process at the wrong time. People need to learn the processes and when to apply them correctly to change effectively.
- Be prepared for complications. Some problems are connected to others and when you fix one, another one can become larger. Luckily a person can solve similar problems with similar solutions.
-The path to change is rarely a straight one. Change follows a cyclical path everything a person started with is not lost, but it is changed.
- A lapse is not a relapse. A lapse is a slip up but it does not undo all of the work that was done to change a behavior. Relapse does undo all the work that was spent on the change.
-Mini-decisions lead to maxi-decisions. Small decisions that people make may lead them to relapse. A recovering alcoholic keeping beer in the house is a great example of this.
- Distress precipitates relapse. The most common cause of relapse is distress.
- Learning translates into action. People should use what they have learned thru relapse to further their growth toward change.
A Changer’s Manual
- This chapter helps people track what they would need to do to overcome problems with smoking, drinking, and psychological distress.
- This chapter has a lot of examples in it so the brief overview that I gave previously would suffice to rap this one up.
Termination- Exiting the Cycle of Change
- This chapter supplies the reader with four defining criteria to determine if a person’s problem is terminated.
- A new self-image. If a significant revision in a person’s attitude or self-image has occurred then that person will approach termination.
- No temptation in any situation. This simply means that if a person has no temptation to revert back to their old behavior in any situation then they will approach termination.
- Solid self-efficacy. This occurs when a person is convinced that they can function well without ever again engaging in their former behaviors.
- A healthier lifestyle. A new lifestyle is essential for maintenance. A lifestyle in which a person does not perform their former behavior is created.
PERSONAL INSIGHTS
Reading this book made me think differently about the topic in the sense that I now can see why a habit is so hard to get out of, and what it takes to get out of it. The first difference that I have found in myself is that I now have more sympathy for people who really want to change but simply don’t know how. Another way I am thinking differently is that I now know how to make the changes I have tried to or will try to accomplish happen. And lastly I have come to realize that a permanent change is not an over night thing, these so called changes end up spiraling the person back to the habit they were trying to fix in the first place.
I’ll apply what I’ve learned in this book in my career by always remembering that people who have bad habits and are trying to change are going through a lot more than most people realize. I will always try to be patient with someone when and if they are trying to change because I can now see that failure is a part of the changing process.
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To contact the author of this summary/review, please email Daniel Blanchard at dan2blanchard@gmail.com.
David C. Wyld (dwyld@selu.edu) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Business, can be viewed at http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/. He also has a book summary/review blog that is a collection of his students’ works at http://wyld-about-books.blogspot.com/.
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