Visit any health club this month and you'll see enthusiastic new members who have resolved to get fit. They've made a pledge — to themselves, their partners or friends — to take better care of themselves. These folks want to improve their fitness for different reasons: a family history of heart disease, a new romance, a desire to feel better and live longer. Sadly, if you return to the health club in a month or so, very few of the new faces you saw in January will still be there. Where did they go? Why did they leave? What might have helped them to achieve their goals?
Psychologists are experts in change, but even for the experts, change is hard. Why? Even when people make moderate changes, they frequently revert to their former behaviors under pressure.
The question is this: How do we stay on a progressive path when even small changes seem to elicit huge resistance in ourselves, from others and from the environment? Psychological research by Prochaska and DiClemente (1983) and other behavioral scientists suggests that the barriers to change are great, but certain variables can facilitate change. For example, feedback in the form of charts and graphs, social media devices that help us stick to healthy behaviors and incremental success can sustain behavior change.
It is important to reflect on these points since there is constant change all around us. Our nation is in the midst of dramatic changes driven by advances in technology, reductions in research funding, bewildering shifts in the health-care delivery system, demographic shifts, and political battles for power and control. The field of psychology and APA are also in the midst of dramatic changes. APA is undergoing unsettling transformations as we revamp our governance structure, working toward greater effectiveness and greater responsiveness to issues within and outside the discipline.
As psychologists, we are experts at defining, effecting, maintaining and measuring change, yet change is still difficult for us. Looking inward, your APA Council of Representatives and Board of Directors have vigorously debated and voted on governance changes, and the effects of these new processes are just beginning to be known. Our self-analysis about the ability of APA governance to meet our strategic goals has resulted in a grand experiment that delegates much of the oversight of APA's daily business to the Board of Directors, enabling the Council of Representatives to engage in larger policy discussions and decision-making that can move the field forward toward meeting our strategic goals.
One might ask, "Is it merely change for the sake of change?" No. As change experts, psychologists should be in the lead in renewing ourselves and our organization through progressive and ongoing initiatives that reflect increasing globalization and the increasing reach of psychology through our science, our practice, our education and training, and the public interest.
While we are change experts, we are also challenged by change. Change includes disruption and requires resilience — not always easily accomplished within organizations, even when filled with experts in change. New visions brought by our students and early career psychologists often challenge the experience and comfort of those familiar with past wisdom. Our progress may mirror the example from the technology industry in which rapid and exponential changes require us to learn new processes and devices and deal with increased complexity. Fear of the unknown and fear of unintended consequences often create additional barriers to change.
And yet change is inevitable. I encourage us to draw on our own expertise in change, bring the courage to face our fears, and move forward with resolution and commitment. As George Bernard Shaw said, "Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."
See you at the gym.