AmericaÕs top three New YearÕs resolutions are lose
weight, quit smoking and exercise regularly. Somewhere up there must be to
change drinking and drug use habits. Certainly the Jan. 1 hangover can provide
some impetus for that decision.
Psychologists study New YearÕs resolutions to analyze
self-initiated behavior change. What makes them work, when they do?
á Readiness
to change;
á Use
of behavioral strategies;
á Successfully
weathering temporary setbacks.
University of Scranton psychology professor John Norcross,
PhD. has studied the long term effectiveness of New YearÕs resolutions, and
found that 19 percent still stuck to their resolutions at the two-year mark.
Conclusions:
Type of resolution, age and gender did not predict
success.
Success came from avoiding stimulus, and by reinforcement
of successful behavior (use of Òbehaviorally contingent rewards ... ).
ÒConsciousness-raising strategiesÓ were not successful (Òpictures
of tar-blackened lungs ... taped
to the wall, etc.).
ÒSelf-efficacy, or the belief that one can effect and
maintain change, also predicted resolution success‰Û¦ [S]elf-efficacy is
a measure of personal belief in oneÕs ability to succeed at something—in
this case, to succeed at changing ingrained habits. ...
These conclusions fit with a model of behavior change
(references: Norcross, Prochaska, DiClemente) which see habit change as a
process rather than as an event.
ÒThough there may be a last cigarette, the weeks or months
leading up to that moment, as well as the daily decision to continue not
smoking, are all integral parts of smoking cessation, theorizes J.O.
Prochaska*. ...
So a New YearÕs resolution can fit into the Ôstages of
changeÕ model in which people move from contemplation to action. The action
stage is where lifestyle changes are overt; it involves conscious decisions,
actions, and planning. Merely wishing wonÕt make a New YearÕs resolution
succeed. You have to make a decision for change, and do something to enact
change.
ÒNorcross found that readiness to change, or how prepared
a person is to enter the action stage of behavior change, to be the single best
predictor of New YearÕs resolution success. ...
So strategies that work include:
á doing
things to reward new behaviors and
á avoiding
situations where the unhealthy behavior is likely to occur.
Thinking about the benefits of change can help push a
person from contemplation to action. But the action stage is a time for
decisions, choices, and longterm lifestyle changes.
Then what? How you deal with setbacks can be Òkey to
maintaining new habits, ... says
University of Washington psychologist G. Alan Marlatt, PhD. ...
People who are quitting smoking tend to have a cigarette
or two along the way.
ÒUnsuccessful quitters, ... he says, Òtend to fall into the trap of dichotomous thinking,
viewing a single smoked cigarette as evidence that they just do not have the
willpower to persevere. A successful quitter, on the other hand, might search
for situational causes leading to the momentary failure, such as the presence
of a smoking friend, and avoid the risky situation in the future. ... Most people, by the way, quit smoking on
their own.
Are New YearÕs resolutions worth it? Norcross notes that
those who make resolutions are still 10 times more likely to successfully
change their behavior than those who do not.
ÒResolutions deserve a little more respect,Ó he says. ÒThese
people are taking on serious health problems, and many of them do succeed.Ó
Adapted from APA Monitor on Psychology Volume 35, No. 1
January 2004
Solutions to Resolution Dilution BY Sadie F. Dingfelder
http://www.apa.org/monitor/jan04/solutions.html
á Prochaska,
J.O., DiClemente, C.C., & Norcross, J.C. (1992). In search of how people
change: Applications to addictive behaviors. American Psychologist, 47(1),
1102-1114.
Happy
New Year, everyone!