Definition:
The Preparation (Determination) Stage is the third stage of change in the Transtheoretical Model and represents the time in a person's treatment where they are preparing to make the changes necessary for recovery. The person recognizes their use as problematic and is preparing to take the steps.
The Transtheoretical Model (also called the Stages of Change Model) was developed by Prochaska and DiClemente in the late 1970s. This model focuses on the decision-making of the individual and is a model of intentional change. The Transtheoretical Model operates on the assumption that people do not change behaviors quickly and decisively. Rather, change in behavior, especially habitual behavior, occurs continuously through a cyclical process.
The stages in this model are as follows:
- Precontemplation
- Contemplation
- Preparation (Determination)
- Action
- Maintenance
- Relapse