Chapter 2
Behavior Modification

Barriers to change:

• Procrastination- Ask yourself "why wait until tomorrow"?
• Preconditioned cultural beliefs- The belief that we are a product of our environment, pose a barrier to change
• Gratification- People prefer instant gratification over long-term gratification
• Risk complacency- People tell themselves "If I get heart disease, Ill deal with it them"
• Complexity- People think the world is too complicate, with too much to think about. You may feel overwhelmed by everything that is required to lead a healthy lifestyle.

1. Getting exercise
2. Eating low-fat/high-fiber meals
3. Controlling use of substances
4. Managing stress
5. Wearing seat-belts
6. Getting medical physicals
7. Taking nutrient supplements if necessary
8. Fostering spirituality

• Indifference and helplessness- More than 80% of the leading causes of death in the U.S. are preventable
• Rationalization- People often tell themselves their behaviors are better than the really are
• Invincibility- People sometimes believe that unhealthy behaviors will not harm them

Motivation and Locus of Control

• Motivation- The desire and will to do something.
• Locus of control- A concept examining the extent to which a person believes he or she can influence the external environment
• People who believe they have control are said to have an internal locus of control
• People who believe that what happens is a result of chance are said to have an external locus of control
• People usually fall somewhere along a continuum between internal and external locus of control
• Three impediments which cause people to NOT take action:
• Problems of competence- Lacking skills to accomplish a task leads to less competence. Master the skills you need to participate
• Problems of confidence- You have the skill but do not believe you can accomplish the objective. Visualize yourself accomplishing the task.
• Problems of motivation- Competence and confidence are there, but individuals are unwilling to change because the reasons to change are not important to them. How badly you want something dictates how hard you will work for it.

Changing Behavior

• The great majority of people attempt change by themselves with little or no knowledge of the process
• The Transtheoretical Model is a gradual process that involves several stages
• The following six stages are important in understanding the process of willful change

1. Precontemplation- People do not want to change a behavior and often deny having the problem and may even avoid information that address the issue. Education of the behavior is critical – Knowledge is POWER.
2. Contemplation- Stage of change in which people are considering changing behavior in the next six months
3. Preparation- Stage of change in which people are getting ready to make a change within the next month
4. Action- Stage of change in which people are actively changing a negative behavior or adopting a new, healthy behavior.
5. Maintenance- Stage of change in which people maintain behavioral change for up to five years
6. Termination- Stage of change in which people have maintained a behavior for over five years

• Relapse - To slip or fall back into unhealthy behavior or failing to maintain healthy behavior

The Process of Change

The most common processes of change:

• Consciousness-raising- obtaining information about a problem in order to make a better decision about the behavior
• Social Liberation- Stresses external alternatives that make you aware of problem behaviors
• Self-Analysis- A decisive desire to change a behavior
• Emotional Arousal- A person experiences and expresses feelings about a problem and its solutions
• Positive Outlook- Taking an optimistic approach from the beginning and believing in yourself
• Commitment- A decision to, and accepting the responsibility to, change
• Behavior Analysis- Determining the frequency and consequences of the behavior to be modified
• Goal Setting- Goals motivate changes in behavior
• Self-Reevaluation- The individual analyzes feelings of where he/she stands in regard to the problem behavior
• Countering- Substituting healthy behaviors for a problem behavior
• Monitoring- Behavior monitoring increases awareness of the desired outcome
• Environment Control- Person restructures the physical surroundings to avoid the problem behavior and decrease temptation
• Helping Relationships- Surrounding yourself with people who will help toward your goals
• Rewards- People tend to repeat behaviors that are rewarded

Techniques of Change

• Methods or procedures used to aid with each process of change

Goal Setting

Goal- The ultimate aim toward which effort is directed

Goals are most effective when they are:

• Well planned
• Personalized
• Written
• Realistic
• Short-term AND long-term
• Measurable
• Time-specific
• Monitored
• Evaluated

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