Readiness, importance, and confidence: Critical conditions of change in treatment

(from the chapter) This chapter addresses the following question: What are the critical psychological processes that promote behavior change? It begins with the concept of readiness and a critical examination of the alluring idea that treatments for addictions can be matched to the stage of change of the individual. The author argues that matching should be more loosely defined as a process of maintaining congruence in a consultation with the person's feelings and perceptions of change. Doing this in practice often leads to questions such as, "Why do people say they are at a particular stage of change?" and "What topic should I focus on?" In answer to these questions, the author points to 2 general themes: the perceived importance of change and the perceived confidence to achieve it. The relevance of these 2 constructs varies across stages. They are well grounded in current models of behavior change, and they are discussed in most forms of treatment. Taken together, the 3 concepts of readiness, importance, and confidence provide a framework for understanding the critical conditions of change in treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) (chapter)