Acton 1
Pros of Changing / Cons of ChangingFor Myself / 1. Decreased pain (5)
2. Better running performance (5)
3. Make a new habit of stretching so it becomes a normal part of my routine (4) / 1. Requires a time commitment (4)
2. May not have a place to stretch if I am not home all day(4)
3. Inclement weather can affect roads needed to get to doctor(3)
For Others In My Life / 1. Better running performance from myself can help the team succeed (3)
2. Coach doesn’t have to wonder if I am physically able to compete (3)
3. Parents don’t have to worry about me being in pain or causing damage to my body (3) / 1. I can let the team down if I can’t contribute when they need me(4)
2. I can have less social time (2)
Reactions/Feelings of Self / 1. Higher self efficacy going into races with no pain as a result of stretching (5)
2. Feeling accomplished when muscles feel better as time passes (3)
3. Motivation to continue stretching after seeing results of better running performance (4) / 1. Lower self efficacy if muscle pain hinders racing performance (5)
2. Frustration with the ongoing problem (3)
3. Stress and worry about getting all of my stretching in every day (3)
Reactions/Feelings of Others / 1. Recognition from coach/parents/team mates after viewing increased stretching and better racing performance (3)
2. Team mates being happy that I can physically practice and compete (3)
3. Parents and coach not having to worry about me injuring a muscle (3) / 1. Coach not understanding if racing performance doesn't improve (3)
2. Parents coach, and team mates worrying about my physical health of my muscles (2)
For this activity, you will need to fill in the lines above with your own thoughts, feelings and reactions related to your behaviour change. You are welcome to fill in the items directly in the chart above or reproduce it in a new document, whichever is easier for you.
For myself refers to what could happen to you personally. In the “pros” column, list the positive
things that might happen if you stay the same. In the “cons” column, list the negative things that might happen.
For others refers to how your behaviour affects other people. What might happen (good and bad) to those around you if you do not change your habits? How will they be affected? In the “pros” column, list the positive things that might happen if you stay the same. In the “cons” column, list the negative things that might happen.
Reactions/feelings of self refers to how you will feel about yourself if you stay the same and not change your behaviour. How will this affect your self-image, confidence and self-esteem? In the “pros” column, list the positive feelings you might have if you stay the same. In the “cons” column, list the negative feelings you might have.
Reactions/feelings of others refers to how your friends, family, roommates, co-workers, clients or other people might feel or respond if you stay the same and don’t change your behaviour. How will this affect their feelings about themselves and their feelings about you? ? In the “pros” column, list the positive feelings they might have if you stay the same. In the “cons” column, list the negative feelings they might have.
SCORING
This scale is a bit more difficult to score with numbers, since you may not have an even number of items in each column. For each item you have listed, though, assign it a number between 1 and 5, with 1 being “not important” and 5 being “very important”. Add up the numbers in each column. Which was higher, the pros or the cons? What does this activity tell you about yourself and your readiness to make a change?
Pro total: 44
Con total: 33
Emily Acton
Dr. Spencer
Health Behavior
6 March 2016
Written Assignment 4- Decisional Balance Reflection
Behavior change is a very difficult process to undergo, which is why there are so
many components, factors, and strategies that occur. In my own behavior change of increasing the amount I stretch, I have determined I am in the action stage. This is due in part to me taking the steps I need to change, but not having the behavior of stretching frequently permanently in my daily routine yet. After completing the decisional balance form above, I was able to explore the pros and cons of changing my behavior of not stretching. This is essential to someone who is having difficulty determining if it is worth changing their behavior. Aside from the decisional balance and the stage of change I am in, processes of change are also important in the transition into behavior change. Without these things, it would be very hard for an individual to change a behavior, with or without professional help.
In the decisional balance form, I was able to think about in depth pros and cons that pertain to my specific behavior change in categories that affect myself and others in my life. After rating each pro and con on importance of a scale of 1 (not important) or 5 (very important) and totaling each, the pros had a higher score of 44, while the cons had a score of 33. Seeing these scores and all of the pros and cons I listed, it gave me even more of a motivation to change. It was easier to visualize pros and cons happening while thinking of and rating them. It can not only help me, but others see that the pros of them changing their behavior can far outweighs the cons. This can give people an extra push they may need in order to start their behavior change process, moving them from pre- contemplation to contemplation or from contemplation to action.
There were a few select pros and cons that stood out to me. For the pros, decreased pain, improved running performance, and higher self efficacy when racing are very important to me. Ultimately, these three pros in themselves are the reason why I chose stretching as my behavior change. This can be powerful for someone to see if they don’t realize why they want to change. For the cons, letting the team down and having a lower self efficacy towards racing are very important to me because if they occur, they can create a huge setback for me that I will need to overcome. Viewing these cons also showed me that I do wish to continue my efforts in the action stage because I don’t want to experience either of these cons. This can also be powerful for someone to view because it can create motivation to keep up the behavior change process or motivate the start of the process.
With the decisional balance and the stages of change, the processes of change also play a major role in the behavior change process. The ten processes of change lead people to the stage they are in and even help people realize they need to change. The ten processes are as follows; consciousness raising, commitment, self reevaluation, emotional arousal, environmental evaluation, helping relationships, countering, stimulus control, self liberation, reinforcement management, and social liberation. Using each process of change correctly is essential to be on track to behavior change. If the processes of change are used incorrectly, behavior change can be hindered and not allow the individual to see the importance of changing or provide the motivation they need to keep working at the change.
In my particular stage of change, which is action, I would get the most benefit from the self liberation, helping relationships, counter conditioning, reinforcement management, and stimulus control. In the self liberation process of change, it essentially is the amount of self efficacy an individual holds about behavior change. In other words, it is the belief that you are able to make the change and can stick to it. Helping relationships is simply your support system through the endeavor of behavior change. Counter conditioning involves replacing an unhealthy behavior with a good behavior. For example, exercising when a smoker who is trying to quit feels the urge to smoke. Reinforcement management is providing oneself with a reward when reaching a certain point in their behavior change journey. Lastly, stimulus control is controlling your environment that you are constantly exposed to. For example, a smoker trying to quit would remove him or herself from going outside with coworkers during their smoke break.
By using each of these processes of change, I am able to help myself succeed in my behavior change. Applying self liberation to my particular behavior change, I am able to think back to successful and rewarded races that I have experienced in the past. By reflecting on past successful races, I am able to see that I am and can be a good runner, and stretching more is only going to help that. My helping relationships are numerous in my quest of change. I have my coaches, family, team mates, and friends who want to see me succeed and do the best I possibly can. These relationships keep me motivated and help me see why I am doing this change in the first place. Applying counter conditioning to my specific behavior change is simple. My unhealthy behavior is not stretching enough, so replacing that with my change of stretching more, replaces that unhealthy behavior. Reinforcement management is also simple in my case. I am able to see and feel better while training, which will translate into feeling and doing better while racing. These two things are rewards in themselves because feeling better is another major reason I am changing. Stimulus control in my situation is complex. When I am at my apartment, posters throughout my room have motivational quotes on them, which helps remind me of my goal. Surrounding myself with the team after practice to stretch is also a way I use stimulus control. If I surround myself with the team who is stretching, I am also going to stretch. All of the processes of change correlate back to my own behavior change and help push me towards the maintenance stage.
Being in the action stage of change is difficult for a person to face. It is essential to pursue your action plan so you make it a regular part of your daily routine, as well as leading to complete change. Many people feel the pressure during this stage and can relapse. With the use of the decisional balance to view pros and cons, an individual in the action stage is able to be reminded of why they are changing and how the pros outweigh the cons. Using the correlatingprocesses of change for the action stage, you are able to help cope with the pressure and struggleof the stage. These two aspects of the transtheoretical model are vital in leading to behaviorchange by helping the individual regain motivation and continue their quest to change.