Dissertation Tips:  A monthly compendium of thoughts, tips and strategies for completing your dissertation!! 

June/July 2010

Change is difficult!  And sustaining changes over time is even more challenging.  Many doctoral students want to change their approach to their dissertation, particularly when they are feeling stuck.   Whether you are trying to change a procrastination habit, overcome a fear of writing or devote more time to your dissertation, that initial motivation to change can be hard to sustain.

Psychologists Prochaska and DiClementi (1984*) identified six stages of change.  These are Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, Maintenance and Relapse.  These six stages can be applied to many behavioral changes, from weight loss, addictions, to changing one's habits around the dissertation.  Let's dissect these six stages as they might relate to someone who wants to change their dissertation habits by looking at a case example of a fictitious dissertation coaching client. 

Frank is a doctoral student who has been experiencing challenges in finding time to work on his dissertation.  He keeps finding other activities (and excuses) which get in the way of putting in enough time.  His advisor is starting to get on his case because he thinks Frank should be further along in his research than he currently is.  Frank doesn't want to disappoint his advisor, but he also doesn't appreciate the advisor "breathing down his neck".   He does want to finish his dissertation but other, more interesting opportunities keep presenting themselves.

In the precontemplation stage, Frank doesn't think he has a problem.  He justifies these other opportunities as things that will help him and he thinks his advisor might be overreacting.  When someone is in the precontemplation stage, he/she doesn't see much reason to change.  The person may be hesitant to change, may doubt their abilities, may rationalize about their behaviors or may rebel against someone forcing change. 

If Frank's distress (or the advisor's pressure) becomes strong enough, he may move to the contemplation stage.  In this stage, Frank may begin to accept the idea that he's having a problem working on his dissertation and think about what needs to happen to plan more time for his dissertation.  But at this stage he's not making any positive actions toward change and is still a bit ambivalent about the need to change.

In the preparation stage, Frank begins to identify strategies and techniques he can use to focus more on his dissertation.  For example, he's decided that he will spend the hours of 8-10 a.m. on Monday through Friday working on his dissertation.  He's slowly testing the waters to see if he can succeed.  He's also identifying other actions that he might take, such as developing a prioritized task list for his dissertation, and setting small, manageable goals each day of the week.

As Frank moves to the action stage, he's implementing these strategies and experiencing some success.  He finds that his motivation level is higher and he's seeing the results of his efforts.  He notices that his advisor is no longer on his case and seems happy with his progress. 

Fast forward six months.  In the maintenance stage, Frank continues to use the strategies that have served him well.  He's learned some additional strategies and is very close to finishing his dissertation.  Frank realizes that he needs to start looking for a faculty job so he starts to peruse the Chronicle of Higher Education to identify suitable opportunities.  As he starts the job search process, he's now spending less time on the finishing stages of the dissertation.  He rationalizes that he's so close to the end now that he'll get things done "soon."  And of course, the job search process is very important to his future.  Frank has now entered the relapse stage!  His old habits of procrastination and avoidance of the dissertation are back in full force and his advisor is "breathing down his neck" again!

Frank will get his dissertation done and graduate, but he'll need to go through the change cycle again and regain his momentum to finish. 

As you think about where you are in your dissertation process, keep these stages of change in mind.  Where are you in the change process?  Are you contemplating changes?  Acting on these?  Maintaining these changes?  Or do you find yourself relapsing?  If so, go back to the basics of setting small, achievable, manageable goals.  Remember - you don't need to let a relapse derail your progress.  You just need to get back to

Quotes of the month: 

A scholar who loves comfort is not fit to be called a scholar. 
~Confucius, Analects

You block your dreams when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.
~Mary Manin Morrissey

Between the great things we cannot do and the small things we will not do, the danger is that we shall do nothing.
~Adolph Monod



*Prochaska, J.O. & DiClementi, C.C. (1984).  The transtheoretical approach:  Crossing traditional    boundaries of therapy.  Homewood, IL:  Dow Jones - Irwin.