Addiction: The application of theories - Prochaska's six stage model of behaviour change

Question 1

What does the model explain?

Answer 1

The process involved in behavioural change
Explains how individuals overcome an addiction
Has a cyclic nature
Takes a positive and dynamic approach as opposed to an all or nothing approach

Question 2

What are the six stages?

Answer 2

Pre-contemplation
Contemplation
Preparation
Action
Maintenance
Termination

Question 3

What is pre-contemplation?

Answer 3

Individuals don’t consider themselves as having a problem, don’t think about changing their behaviour

Question 4

What is a useful intervention for pre-contemplation?

Answer 4

Consider the need for change

Question 5

What is contemplation?

Answer 5

Individual thinks about changing their behaviour, have awareness to take action

Question 6

What is a useful intervention for contemplation?

Answer 6

Understand the pros of overcoming the addiction

Question 7

What is preparation?

Answer 7

Decide to change within the next month but not exactly what they will do

Question 8

What is a useful intervention for preparation?

Answer 8

Construct a plan

Question 9

What is action?

Answer 9

Plan is put into action
Individual has done something to change their behaviour in the last six months

Question 10

What is a useful intervention for action?

Answer 10

Develop coping strategies to quite and maintain their change of behaviour

Question 11

What is maintenance?

Answer 11

Maintained some change of behaviour for more than six months
Focus is on relapse prevention like avoiding situations where cues may trigger addiction

Question 12

What is a useful intervention for maintenance?

Answer 12

Applying the coping strategist they have learnt and use the sources of support available to them to prevent relapse

Question 13

What is termination?

Answer 13

New acquired behaviours such as abstinence becomes automatic
Don’t turn to addictive behaviours to cope with stress/anxiety
Confident in their ability to resist the behaviour

Question 14

What is a useful intervention for maintenance?

Answer 14

No intervention required
Behaviour change occured

Question 15

1 - What is a limitation of the model?

Answer 15

Some argue the stages of change are not well - differentiated

Question 16

1 - What did Pa Kraft et al argue?

Answer 16

The six stages can be reduced to just two useful stages (pre-contemplation and the other grouped together) as the person thinks about change in all of the later stages but not in the first

Question 17

1 - What does this have?

Answer 17

Important implications as each stage in the model is matched with a specific intervention

Question 18

1 - What is the link?

Answer 18

Limits the usefulness as a model and a treatement

Question 19

2 - Why can the model be praised?

Answer 19

Takes a positive view of relapse

Question 20

2 - What doesnt the model do?

Answer 20

Doesnt view the relapse as a failure but as an inevitable part of the dynamic, un-linear process of behaviour change

Question 21

2 - What does the model do?

Answer 21

Takes it seriously and doesn’t underestimate the potential to knock an addict off the course of recovery

Question 22

2 - What is the link?

Answer 22

More acceptable as a result of its positive outlook on relapse

Question 23

3 - What is much of the model based on?

Answer 23

Self - report methods
Lead to social desirability bias

Question 24

3 - Who did Prochaska base the model on?

Answer 24

Nicotine addicts and the changes in their thinking when giving up

Question 25

3 - What could the addicts have done?

Answer 25

Lied about how logical their though processes were when givign up to present themselves in the best possible light

Question 26

3 - What is the link?

Answer 26

Reduces the internal validity