The Election, a Psychological Model for Change, and the Collective Psyche of this Country
By: Dr. Denise Renye
A topic that’s coming up consistently right now is change, both on the personal level and the societal level. A specialty in my practice is working with folx who deal with addiction and the underpinnings thereof, which means I know moving through the process of recovery is full of ambivalence and with fits and starts regarding change. And for good reason: Change is challenging to understand and move through successfully. The same process is happening in the U.S. – some people are ready for change while others are not. And it must be said change is one of the hardest things we can do in this lifetime.
Sometimes even if people are not happy with their current situation or a behavior, they do not choose change and transformation. This is true in relationships, jobs, addiction recovery, and even politically. Drs. James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente developed a model to understand the stages of change, mostly as it applies to maladaptive behaviors, but I think it also applies to what’s happening politically in the U.S. and also around the world.
I say that because this year more people voted than in 2016, and on top of that people are seeing this whole system that landed us with two elderly White men as presidential candidates is bunk. Back in 2019, a University of Chicago Harris School for Public Policy and Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research study found 54% of Americans think the government system needs major changes and 12% believe it should be completely replaced. And it’s not just Democrats, by the way – 52% of Republicans want big changes too.
Around the globe, we have more women leaders than ever before and in countries with women at the helm, they’ve handled the pandemic much better than the U.S. has. They are operating from more of a democratic approach versus a domineering or, dare I say, dictatorship-type approach.
Change is coming whether we all want it or not. It’s coming whether we collectively choose it or not. The real question is are we conscious of where we are in the process? Prochaska and DiClemente’s process shows there’s a lot that goes into change before the action of change occurs, meaning before giving up smoking for instance, there’s a process before a person actually puts down the cigarettes. Addiction and readiness for change are intricately complex. Also, I want to point out here that change is not linear. We fall into and out of each stage. You can see that visually in this link. The stages are as follows:
1. Stage 1: Precontemplation. In this stage, a person does not intend to take action in the foreseeable future, which is defined as within the next 6 months. In fact, they are often unaware their behavior is problematic or produces negative consequences. A person in this stage often underestimates the pros of changing behavior and places too much emphasis on the cons of changing behavior.
2. Stage 2: Contemplation. The person intends to start the new healthy behavior, they recognize their behavior may be problematic. They’re starting to think more about the pros and cons and considering the practical steps in doing so. In this stage, a person may still feel ambivalent about changing.
3. Stage 3: Preparation/Determination. Now the person is ready to take action sooner than 6 months, it’s more like in the next 30 days. They start to take small steps toward the change and believe doing so will lead to a healthier/better/more enriched life.
4. Stage 4: Action. They did it! The person changed their behavior and intends to keep it going.
5. Stage 5: Maintenance. The change happened more than 6 months ago and the person is sustaining their new behavior. They want to keep it going and prevent relapse to earlier stages.
6. Stage 6: Termination. The person has no desire to return to their unhealthy behaviors and are sure they will not relapse. However, this stage is rarely reached.
What does all this mean in the context of the election? I think we have to look at individuals as well as the country as a whole. Individually, numerous people are ready for change – Joe Biden won the popular vote with 72 million votes (and counting) to Donald Trumps 68 million (and counting). If you look at state maps by county, you’ll also likely notice residents of cities voted for Biden while more rural areas voted for Trump. I haven’t looked at every state, but it’s certainly true for California, where I live.
I mention that because it’s not as if every state is uniform and can be lumped into one category or another. Some people want change and some people do not, even if it’s hurting them. For instance, Mitch McConnell was reelected to the senate even though he laughed when his opponent Amy McGrath criticized him for holding up a COVID-19 relief bill. It’s not that people in Kentucky aren’t suffering. No, instead the majority anyway are in the precontemplation stage. They are perhaps daunted by change and instead want to stick with what’s familiar. Change feels too hard, too scary. Oftentimes people cling to the familiar because it’s just that: familiar.
The origin of the word “familiar” is Old French along with Latin meaning “intimate” and “on a family footing.” We tend to cling to things that we learn from early childhood such as coping skills and people (energies) we choose to be around. And unfortunately, those things can be maladaptive and potentially even dysfunctional. It’s is something folx who deal with addiction can understand and this is something we are seeing as a nation.
A little less than half of people in the U.S. are happy with the way things are and aren’t thinking beyond their immediate circles. They are not bothered by children locked in cages, or BIPOC gunned down in the streets. Or if they are, not enough to do something about it. Some people may feel paralyzed by not knowing what to do and/or believing the entire governmental system is not to be trusted. A quote that I think speaks nicely to this is by Raymond Lindquist who said, “Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.”
However, I take heart because I see all around me, and also in election results, that other people are ready to let go of the familiar and are further along in the change model. They are fired up, they want something new, even if they’re not quite in the action phase just yet.
I also want to point out here Biden winning does not necessarily mean BIG change for a very outdated system that continues to perpetuate racism, sexism, misogyny, and oppression. However, it does mean change from the current “leader” of the past four years. It’s a start and a step in the right direction.
For ideas and ways to stay connected to and learn more about the unconscious through the body, feel free to stay connected.
References
Australian Government Department of Health. “3.3 The stages-of-change model.” 2004. https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/drugtreat-pubs-front9-wk-toc~drugtreat-pubs-front9-wk-secb~drugtreat-pubs-front9-wk-secb-3~drugtreat-pubs-front9-wk-secb-3-3
CNN. “California election results.” November 4, 2020. https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/results/state/california
LaMorte, Dr. Wayne W. “The Transtheoretical Model (Stages of Change).” Boston University School of Public Health. September 9, 2019. https://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/mph-modules/sb/behavioralchangetheories/behavioralchangetheories6.html
Pengelly, Martin. “Mitch McConnell laughs at criticism over Congress COVID relief failure.” The Guardian. October 13, 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/13/mitch-mcconnell-laughs-covid-relief-amy-mcgrath-kentucky-senate-debate
Riccardi, Nicholas; Swanson, Emily. “Poll shows most in US want changes in how government works.” AP News. May 2, 2019. https://apnews.com/article/6e8132f2c131477eb4b9ff67f02c7921