Understanding Behaviour Change Stages

A Framework for Understanding Change

Behavioural science research describes recognisable stages that people move through when changing habits. These stages, identified through studying real-world behaviour change, provide a useful framework for understanding the process and identifying what supports progression at each phase.

Understanding stages helps set realistic expectations. Different stages require different types of support. Information is most useful in some stages; environmental changes in others; social support in yet others. Recognising which stage applies to a particular behaviour or individual helps identify what might be most supportive.

Pre-Contemplation Stage

Characteristics: In the pre-contemplation stage, an individual is not actively considering changing a particular behaviour. This might reflect lack of awareness, lack of concern about the behaviour, previous unsuccessful attempts, or simply not having the change on their agenda.

What Supports Progress: Movement from pre-contemplation often requires increased awareness of the behaviour and its context. Information about patterns, education about the behaviour, or conversations that raise consciousness can support movement into contemplation.

Note on Pressure: Pressure to change in this stage typically increases resistance. People in pre-contemplation often respond better to information and reflection opportunities than to external pressure.

Contemplation Stage

Characteristics: In contemplation, an individual is aware of a behaviour and is actively considering whether change is desirable or possible. This stage is often characterised by ambivalence — simultaneous recognition of both reasons to change and reasons not to change.

Duration: The contemplation stage can be extended, sometimes lasting months or years. Individuals may cycle through contemplation multiple times before moving to preparation.

What Supports Progress: Information, reflection, exploring both sides of the change question, and examining personal values support contemplation. Exploring pros and cons, understanding barriers and facilitators, and clarifying motivation help move someone towards the next stage.

Preparation Stage

Characteristics: In preparation, an individual has decided that change is desirable and is beginning to make adjustments or gather information to support the change. They might be planning, researching, or making small initial changes.

What Supports Progress: Planning support, information about practical approaches, skill-building, and environmental preparation all support this stage. Helping someone identify specific, small starting points and remove practical barriers facilitates progression.

Momentum Building: Success with small adjustments in preparation stage builds confidence and momentum for moving into action.

Action Stage

Characteristics: In the action stage, an individual is actively implementing new behaviours or modified routines. This stage requires conscious effort and intention. New behaviours are not yet automatic and require ongoing attention.

Demands of This Stage: Action stage requires the most active effort. Motivation, willpower, and conscious decision-making are necessary because routines are not yet habitual.

What Supports Progress: Environmental support, practical strategies to manage obstacles, monitoring of progress, social support, and reward systems all support action stage. Successfully navigating this stage requires both internal motivation and external support systems.

Duration: The action stage typically lasts until new behaviours become more automatic, which research suggests takes weeks to months depending on complexity and consistency.

Maintenance Stage

Characteristics: Maintenance begins as new behaviours become more automatic and require less conscious effort. In this stage, the challenge shifts from initiating change to sustaining it.

Ongoing Attention: Although behaviours are now more habitual, maintenance requires ongoing attention. Routines can be disrupted by life changes, and vigilance supports consistency.

What Supports Progress: Environmental consistency, ongoing monitoring of patterns, social support, and strategies for managing lapses all support maintenance. Over time, as behaviours become deeply habitual, they require less conscious effort and become more automatically sustained.

Relapse Risk: Lapses (temporary returns to old patterns) are common and relatively normal in maintenance. Understanding lapses as information rather than failure helps support long-term maintenance.

Cycling Through Stages

It's important to note that behaviour change is not always linear. People often cycle back through stages. Someone in maintenance might experience a lapse and return to action or even contemplation. Someone in contemplation might move back to pre-contemplation if motivation decreases.

Understanding that this cycling is normal and relatively common helps support realistic expectations about behaviour change. Multiple cycles through stages before sustained change is often the pattern rather than the exception.

Individual Variability in Stage Progression

While stages provide a useful framework, individuals progress through them at different paces and in different ways. Duration in each stage, ease of progression, and patterns of cycling vary considerably.

Factors influencing progression include motivation, environmental support, social factors, complexity of the change, personal history with similar changes, and numerous other individual circumstances. The stages are useful as a general framework without implying that everyone progresses identically.

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