In the late 1979s Prochaska and DiClemente developed the Transtheoretical Model, also called the Stages of Change model. Their model evolved through studies examining the experiences of smokers who quit on their own versus those who required additional treatment to quit. Their finding? People quit smoking if they were *ready to do so.* Their Stages of Change model operates on the understanding that people do not change behaviors quickly and decisively. Change in behavior, especially habitual

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... avior, occurs continuously through a cyclical process. Prochaska and DiClemente suggested six stages of change: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and termination. For each stage of change, different intervention strategies are most effective at moving the person to the next stage of change and subsequently through the model to maintenance, the ideal stage of behavior.