How People Change Behavior
Purpose
I use this diagram to explain how people change behavior. I usually include it in my handouts, but I don't talk about it in class unless one of the students expresses discomfort with the process of change. In these cases, I explain the process of growth and that even these uncomfortable stages are signs that they are moving in the right direction.
I first saw this model in a class on relationships a couple decades ago, and I found it informative. For more information, it is described in wikipedia. |Click here for article in wikipedia.
Materials

Procedure
- I draw the graph on the board.
- I explain the process as follows:
- We all start in the unconscious incompetence box. This means we have a behavior that doesn't work well for us, and we are not aware that it is holding us back.
- With awareness we come to understand that there is a need to change behavior. This takes us to the conscious incompetence stage.
- When we find a better behavior, with effort and constant vigilance, we can use the new behavior only when we make a concerted effort to do so. This is the conscious competence stage.
- With practice, the new behavior becomes automatic and we move into the unconscious competence phase, where the new behavior is automatic.
- I then talk about how each phase feels, and how the process is often uncomfortable, but is a normal part of the learning process.
page revision: 17, last edited: 02 Jul 2010 18:26