Many years ago, when I first touched an IBM XT computer, I was mesmerized by the charming green text on its screen, the rhythmic stroke on the dirty keyboard, and the enchanting melody of fan noise. I knew this sort of thing would cost my life dearly. Now it’s time for a change. I want to go back home and say “Honey, I am a changed man”. But it takes time.
Behavior changes go through stages. They are precomtemplation stage in which people don’t even think about their problems, contemplation stage in which people start to realize their problems, preparation stage in which people are thinking of ways to correct their problems, action stage, and maintenance stage or termination. These five stages comprise the main idea of transtheoretical model proposed by Prochaska and DiClemente (1983,1994). Although exact time periods may be blurred by overlaps among these stages, it serves as a very useful guideline in the process of either self-improvement or coached therapy.