Time for a change: putting the Transtheoretical (Stages of Change) Model to rest

The Transtheoretical Model of behaviour change, known to many as the Stages of Change (SOC) model, states that with regard to chronic behaviour patterns such as smoking, individuals can be characterized as belonging to one of five or six ‘stages’ (Prochaska et al. 1985; Prochaska & Goldstein 1991; Prochaska & Velicer 1997). Stage definitions vary from behaviour to behaviour and across different versions of the model but in the case of smoking: ‘precontemplation’ involves an individual not thinking about stopping for at least 6 months; ‘contemplation’ involves an individual planning to stop between 31 days and 6 months, or less than 31 days if they have not tried to quit for 24 hours in the past year;…