Personal Personal ScienceScience

Personal Personal ScienceScience

Damon Burton & Andy Damon Burton & Andy GillhamGillham

University of IdahoUniversity of Idaho

Self Change Principles

1.Focus2.Target Behaviors3.Methods4.Help5.Motivation

Self Change Focus

•Specific target behavior

•Long-term rather than short-term emphasis

•Slow and systematic rather than quick and haphazard change

•Plan a program that maximizes your chances of success and minimizes your chances of failure

Self Change Focus

•The longer it takes to reach your self change target goal, the higher the probability that the behavior change will be permanent.

•“Quick fixes” lead to temporary changes.

•Slow, systematic and gradual modification of behavior promote permanent, life-long changes in your lifestyle.

Self Change Target Behaviors

•Target behaviors you are highly motivated to change

•Identify behaviors that will enrich your life and make it more rewarding

•Change behaviors for the right reasons

•Emphasize the positives of change

Self Change Methods

•Change underlying behavior patterns rather than just attaining desired outcome.

•Focus on process NOT outcome

•Be systematic and persistent

Self Change Help

•Well-designed programs build in social support.

•Support must be from people you trust and can count on.

•Support must be readily available and helpful

Self Change Motivation

•Base self change on intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivation.

•Don’t rely on will-power

•Design programs to enhance intrinsic motivation because they maximize chances of success and minimize chances of failure.

Self Change Objective

1. Small, realistic but PERMANENT change in behavior

2. Focus on changing “behavior patterns” (Not Outcome)

3. Changing outcome without changing underlying performance causes “yo-yoing” (temporary changes)

Self Change Objective

4. Down play ‘Quick Fixes’

• Gradually increase desirable behaviors

• Gradually decrease undesirable behaviors

• Reduce, decrease, or de-emphasize

DO NOT ELIMINATE!!

Personal Science

•Specify general problem area

•Collect data

•Identify patterns and possible problems

•Examine various options and possible solutions

•Narrow the options and experiment

•Compare current data with previous data

•Extend, revise, and replace INEFFECTIVE solutions

Personal Science

Personal Education about

Your Level of that Psych Skill

General Educationabout Psych Skill

Specific Acquisition and

Practice Strategies

Step 1 – Specify the Problem Area

•Undertake a self-change program for the “right reasons.”

•Don’t do it for others-do it for yourself.

•Feeling like you “should” or “ought to” change your behavior isn’t good enough

•You must be passionate about wanting to change your lifestyle to get the level of commitment necessary to permanently change a long-time habit.

Step 1 – Specify the Problem Area

•Identifying tangible and realistic long-term goals helps. For example,

•Lose 10 pounds before cruise or reunion,

•Get in shape for skiing, softball, or camping trip

•Compete in a local race, biathlon, or triathlon

Conduct a Cost/Benefit

Analysis

•Make sure your behavior change goal is really important by looking at the pros and cons of your lifestyle change.

•Benefits must clearly outweigh the costs – otherwise wait until they do.

Exercise Program Cost/Benefit Analysis

COSTS BENEFITS1. time 1. appearance2. discomfort 2. health 3. motivation 3. new friends4. lack of support 4. clothes fit5. 5. more energy6. 6. self Esteem7. 7. enjoy life more

Collect Data

•Data must be accurate, so record as soon as possible after behavior occurs.

•Data must be complete, so record all desirable information in sufficient detail

•Data must include pattern information for all discretionary (i.e., choice) behaviors.

with whom? when? under what circumstances? how? thoughts and feelings?

Discretionary Behaviors

•“Discretionary behaviors” are any behavior where you have a choice about what to do rather than being constrained by events or schedule (e.g., study for an hour between classes instead of hanging out with friends, eating lunch, playing video games or surfing the net).

•“Nondiscretionary behaviors” are those behaviors that you are obligated to perform due to prior commitments, convention or schedule (e.g., classes you must attend, sport practice, work schedule, dentist

appointments or tutoring sessions).

Identify Patterns

•Be a Good Detective… Look for Patterns on all “discretionary behaviors”

when? where with whom? under what circumstances? why? how?

Examine Options

•Self Change is a problem-solving process.

•You must find answers to your behavior problems and generate effective solutions. The more solutions you generate, the

better the quality of those solutions.Be creative. Think outside the box.Use the “brainstorming process.” Don’t

evaluate your solutions while generating them.

Narrow to Best Solutions

•Evaluate Your Solutions CarefullyIs this solution right for and realistic

for promoting the permanent lifestyle changes you want?

Make sure solutions fit . . . •you with your personality, attitudes and

values.

•your lifestyle

•your time, money, and motivation constraints

Dietary Example – VicWants to Lose Weight

•Patternsmore calories consumed on weekendsmore calories consumed during the

evenings, especially while watching TV

skips breakfast at least 1/3 of the time

running in the mornings usually leads to another workout later

Vic’s Chosen Solutions

•run 5 mornings before 8:00 AM

•eat breakfast 80% of time

•get to bed before midnight 80% of time

•lower calorie snacks 90% of time while watching TV

•schedule at least 3 important tasks each day on the weekends

2 Weeks of Vic’s Caloric Intake Data

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Vic

Days

Kcals

Turning Solutions into Goals

Tip 1 - Daily goals are a must but you can supplement with weekly goals2400 daily calorie maximumSnack no more than 2 times per day25 minutes of daily physical activity including

walkingAverage exercising 30 minutes per daily (i.e.,

5 days @ 42 minutes per day)Run 35 miles for the weekAttend 90% of my classes each day

Turning Solutions into Goals

•Tip 2 – Make goals specific and measurable (i.e., performance standard is a numerical value)

•Can use objective criteria that can be easily measured/counted (e.g., eat under 2000 calories daily or get 25 minutes of physical activity)

•Can also use subjective criteria (e.g., On a 1-10 scale where 1=poor and 10=excellent, I want my study quality to be a “6.”)

Turning Solutions into Goals

•Tip 3 – Make goals realistic for current performance capabilities (CPC; e.g., 5-15% above CPC)

•Permanent changes need goals to increase or decrease gradually and realistically.

•To determine your goal’s optimal self change level (OSCL), subtract CPC from goal level and divide by CPC (i.e., (Goal – CPC)/CPC)

•If your OSCL score is above 15%, your goal is too challenging to promote permanent lifestyle change.

Turning Solutions into Goals

•Tip 4 – Reward successful goal attainment with something positive you love to do or buy something that will promote self change. Purchase new shoes if goal is met 3

straight weeks

•Punish goal failure with an activity you hate to do. Clean toilet

Help your roommate with math homework

Marcus’ Stages of Change Model

•Stage 1 = Precontemplation: Person isn’t performing self-change behavior and doesn’t intend to start. Initial notice of a problem.

•Stage 2 = Contemplation: Person isn’t performing the self-change behavior but are thinking about starting. Action seriously

considered.

Marcus’ Stages of Change Model

•Stage 3 = Preparation: Person recently started performing the self-change behavior but not consistently enough to get much benefit. Self change initiated

•Stage 4 = Action: Person has maintained the self-change behavior consistently for several months. Becoming more systematic.

Marcus’ Stages of Change Model

•Stage 5 = Maintenance: Person has maintained the self-change behavior consistently for 6 months or more and plans to continue doing so. Reached habitual stage.

•Stage 6 = Relapse Prevention: Person encounters serious lifestyle change after reaching maintenance stage and has to adjust self change program to prevent relapse. Making needed adjustments to maintain lifestyle change.