Transtheoretical Model of Change and Motivation

Transtheoretical model of change and motivation
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TRANSTHEORETICAL MODEL OF CHANGE AND MOTIVATION
Student’s Name
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Transtheoretical model of change and motivation
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Introduction
The Trans theoretical model of change and motivation consists of a series of stages that
enables people to adapt new behaviors and character. It was developed in the late 1970s by
Prochaska and DiClemente. The model suggests that in order to change a certain habit or
behavior, a person must be willing and ready to change (Prochaska, Redding & Evers, 2015).
The change process is therefore intentional and requires inner conviction. In this case study,
Harry is adamant on not changing his diet and feeding habits despite the doctor’s warning that it
might have an impact on his health. He therefore needs enough conviction so as to embrace a
change and sustain the change for a long term run. The aim of this discussion is to identify and
discuss how Harry can be supported through the stages of change cycle up to maintenance. It
will focus on the various stages of change and how using evidence based research they can be
applied to Harry in order to sustain change.
Pre contemplation and contemplation
There are six stages of change in the Trans theoretical model that someone must undergo
in order to sustain and completely embrace new behavior. These stages include pre
contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance and termination. The process of
change is usually continuous and requires willingness in order to reach the final stage that results
in a new permanent habit or behavior (Friman, Huck & Olsson, 2017). For Harry to be able to
adapt change in his feeding habit and prevent gaining more weight, he needs to first develop the
willingness to change. As seen in this case, Harry is contented with his current feeding habit and
weight. He backs this claims with the fact that he is a chef and loves being around food. He
therefore is in the pre contemplation stage whereby he is supporting his current state and has not
yet thought of changing.

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In the pre contemplation stage, a person tends to ignore and underestimate the pros of
adapting new change and mainly emphasizes on the cons of the new change (Ligmann-Zielinska,
Grady & McWhorter, 2016).. In this stage, change is not considered as a priority since the person
is mostly contented with their current state and behavior. In this case, Harry has been warned by
the doctor that his weight is impacting his health yet he has not yet thought of doing something
about his being overweight. He does not despite the warnings perceive his being overweight as
an immediate threat to his well-being. In this case, the best thing to do would be to enlighten him
on the negative consequences and the actual threats that his being overweight is posing to his
health. As he is an orthopedic patient, the state of being obese and overweight could have been a
risk factor to a hip fracture and hence explain the need for the hip replacement surgery.
Advising him on the need to change his feeding habits in order to reduce weight and
avoid other future fracture occurrences would be helpful in triggering and initiating his change
process. As soon as he sees the danger that his weight is posing to his health, Harry might see the
need to change his dietary and feeding habits and hence lead to contemplation stage. In addition
to this, explaining other conditions associated with dietary habits and being obese could help him
perceive the need for change. Citing conditions such as myocardial infarction and diabetes linked
to feeding habits could assist Harry in understanding the big impact that food has on his health
and therefore lead to change in his daily diet.
In the contemplation stage, people begin to consider changing behavior but they haven’t
made any steps or efforts towards changing yet. According to Hammerschall, (2019, April), a
person begins to see that their current behavior or habit is problematic and identify the various
disadvantages associated with it. Once Harry has entered the contemplation stage of his feeding
habits, it would be important to assist him emphasize on the advantages that he is going to