WAKE-UP CALL
Welcome to the June 2009 Wake-Up Call, Awake’s monthly newsletter for research and news about behaviour change for sustainability.
To view this newsletter as a webpage, click here
In this edition of Wake-up Call…
·
Feature Article – Stages of Change
·
Upcoming Workshops – Cultivating Sustainability in New
Zealand, August 2009
·
Interesting Article of the Month – Why Is Nature Beneficial? The Role
of Connectedness to Nature
·
60 seconds with… Micah from The Greengrocer
·
Exercise of the Month – Examining Change
Feature Article – Stages of Change
Although it would be fantastic if behaviour change
happened in an instant, it is generally accepted that there are a number of
stages which people must go through in order to change. Those working to promote the uptake of
environmentally friendly behaviours can benefit from understanding these
stages, and using this knowledge to tailor their efforts.
A useful model of behaviour change called the
Transtheoretical Model was developed by James Prochaska,
primarily through investigations into people who had successfully changed their
health-related behaviours. The model not
only describes the steps which we go through during the change process, but
also provides tips on supporting ourselves to progress through the steps.
The Prochaska model has been adapted by Bob Doppelt from
the Climate Leadership Initiative,
and applied to behaviour change for environmental sustainability, in order to
provide sustainability advocates with tips on supporting people to adopt green
behaviours. The “5-D Model” developed by
Doppelt mirrors each of Prochaska’s stages – below is an overview of
Prochaska’s steps, with Doppelt’s adaptation in brackets.
1.
Pre-contemplation (Disinterest).
This is where we have not even started to think about changing, either
through lack of awareness or denial. In
order for someone
in the Pre-contemplation stage to consider changing, something needs to both
capture their interest, and cause them to see a need for change. This means that, as well as providing
information, some kind of “tension for change” needs to be created. A basic principle of behaviour change is that
people need to feel a disconnection between their current state and a desired
state. Information alone will not
necessarily create such an awareness, which is why an
understanding of such concepts as Cognitive Dissonance (discussed in a previous issue of Wake-Up Call)
is useful.
2.
Contemplation (Deliberation).
At this stage, people begin to think about changing. Primarily this involves weighing up the
benefits versus costs of change, as well as assessing whether one has the
capability of changing. At this point of
the change process, people can be supported through reinforcement of their
ability, plus information which highlights the benefits of change. Providing low risk opportunities to trial
change are another way to assist people in the Contemplation stage, as it can
tip the balance in favour of attempting the change.
3.
Preparation (Design): The
Preparation stage is self-explanatory, involving planning for the change we are
about to make. At this point, we are
working out the best way to change, gathering the tools and skills we need, and
ensuring that our change will be successful.
At this point, people can be supported by providing them with the
assistance and resources they need, and encouraging them to maintain motivation
and keep moving. For example, for a
person considering using public transport to get to work, providing them with
route information and timetables would assist progression through this
stage. Doppelt also advocates the
importance of a public commitment at this stage, as a way of keeping people on
track.
4.
Action (Doing): This is
where people begin the act of changing.
It is important to note that the model does not consider this to be the
“change” stage on it’s own, but merely one of the 5
stages of change. People can be supported
at this stage by continued reinforcement, and, where possible, measures to ensure
that their change experience is positive, especially if it is a “trial
period”. Gym’s do this well, often
providing extra personalised service and support to people in the early stages
of their membership. People are
susceptible to relapse in this stage of the change process, as habits are yet
to be formed. Habit formation can be
supported by providing stability and predictability in the environment in which
the behaviour is being undertaken (see Wake-Up Call July 2008)
5.
Maintenance (Defence): At this stage of the change
process, people are engaged in the new behaviour regularly and it has often
become a habit. At this point, the
chances of relapse are lower, although the change should not be taken for
granted as people’s subjective view of pro’s and con’s can change, especially
in response to personal upheaval.
Continued efforts to improve the reliability and stability of the
environmental conditions in which the behaviour is being performed (eg.
Providing a reliable train service, or recycling service) are the best way to
support people at this stage.
The
value of Prochaska’s model lies in the ability to diagnose where people are in
the change process, and therefore choose how to support them. For instance, if somebody says “I am planning
to change in the next few months or so”, they are probably in the Contemplation
stage. They have accepted
responsibility, but do not yet have a clear plan of action. So the best intervention would be to provide
them with a compelling case to commit to change, outlining the benefits of
changing.
Even
when faced with a life-threatening situation, research
shows that people are extraordinarily stubborn when it comes to changing
behaviour. By developing our
understanding of the processes by which change takes place, we stand a better
chance of supporting the kind of adjustments to our behaviour which are
necessary to deal with the environmental challenges we face in the present and
future.
WANT TO USE THIS
ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with
it:
Awake provides psychology-based
services to support the development of sustainable behaviour in individuals,
groups and organisations. Visit www.awake.com.au
for more info
Upcoming
Workshops – Cultivating Sustainability in New Zealand
Planning is underway for Cultivating Sustainability
workshops in several
Dates and locations are as follows
·
·
·
Napier, Fri August 21st
·
·
These are public workshops with all welcome to
attend.
Cost: For-profits
$250pp
Not-for-profit/Government $200pp
Individuals/Community Groups $120pp
More information and online
registration, can be found at www.awake.com.au/cultivating.html
To enquire about any of the workshops above, email info@awake.com.au
Cultivating
Sustainability is a 1-day workshop which provides sustainability advocates with
insights, models and practical tools to support their behaviour change
efforts. Anybody who has taken on the
challenge of influencing others to live and work more sustainably will find
this workshop a valuable addition to their skills.
For more information about the Cultivating Sustainability
workshop, see www.awake.com.au/cultivating.html
Interesting
Article of the Month –
Why Is Nature Beneficial? The Role of Connectedness to Nature
Where?
Why Is Nature Beneficial? The Role of Connectedness to
Nature
By F. Stephan Mayer, Cynthia McPherson Frantz, Emma
Bruehlman-Senecal, and Kyffin Dolliver
Environment
and Behavior, Published Online September 2008
What is it about?
This series of studies looked the the psychological
benefits of being connected to nature and having experiences in the natural
world. A number of experiments were
carried out, where participants took a walk in nature, or viewed videos of
natural settings, with the effects on their wellbeing examined.
What did they find?
The researchers found that exposure to nature had a number
of benefits such as positive emotions, connectedness to nature and attentional
capacity (ability to work on a problem and tie up loose ends). Furthermore, even a “virtual experience” fof
nature had a similar effect, albeit not as strong.
What can we take from this?
This study provides yet another reason to not only
preserve the natural environment, but to encourage and facilitate a connection
between people and nature. Other
research has found that people who have first-hand connection to nature are
more likely to take actions which preserve the environment. As long as we stay separate and disconnected
from nature, it makes it easier to act in ways which fail to acknowledge the
consequences for the environment, a state which increasingly appears to support
our current unsustainable way of life.
60 Seconds with….. Micah from The Greengrocer
What first got you focused on sustainability?
Food – I grew up conscious of
good food, something which took me towards working in the field of organics and
natural food.
What is the sustainable choice you have recently made of which you are most proud?
Selling and promoting organic
food and natural farming methods.
What is a less sustainable choice that you are not so proud of?
When I neglect to re-use water
from the house to spread on the garden – I don’t have a grey water system, so
that is something I like to do, but I don’t always do it.
Exercise of the Month –
Examining Change
Following on from the feature article above, this exercise is an
opportunity to examine our own behaviour change efforts. If you can, try to use examples of behaviour
changes related to environmental sustainability, otherwise changes from other
areas of your life will work too.
1. Choose one behaviour
change which you have deliberately made in recent years
2. Think about the steps
you took through the behaviour change process
a) Moving from
Pre-Contemplation to Contemplation – what caused you to start thinking that
change would be a good idea?
b) Moving from
Contemplation to Preparation – what factors did you consider when deciding
whether to give it a go?
c) Moving from
Preparation to Action – what tools, resources and information did you need to
assemble in order to get you into action?
d) Moving from Action to
Maintenance – what stops you from going back to your old behaviour? Are there any routines or other mechanisms
you have established to support your new behaviour?
3. Once you have
examined a behaviour change you have successfully made, now try one which
didn’t work so well, or one you have yet to make.
a) Which stage(s) above
did you move through?
b) Where did your
efforts stall?
c) What did/do you need
in order to get you to the next stage?
d) If you were to make
the change now, what could you do to support yourself to change?
The exercise of the month provides a tool to help you get engaged, inspired, aware and in action around sustainability. Feel free to use it on your own, with a friend, or in your work. If you do use it with others, please tell them where you got it!
About Awake
Awake provides psychology-based services to support the development of sustainable behaviour in individuals, groups and organisations. Visit www.awake.com.au for more info
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