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Dr. Phil McGraw is an American celebrity who hosts The Dr. Phil Show. His no-nonsense take on life is in your face and down and dirty. He offers to-the-point advice on a wide range of topics. His daily television show hosts people who are facing issues in their lives generally related to change. Most of the cases are outrageous and there is a sensational element to the topics, but there are some very universal points Dr. Phil makes that can better equip people to embrace change.

One of the resources Dr. Phil uses is the 4 Stages of Readiness for Change scale. This scale illustrates what change looks like based on what is motivating the change. It also helps determine where a mindset must be to create lasting change. Take a look:

4 Stages of Readiness for Change scale

Stage One: Compelled by authority to change

Stage Two: Comply to escape criticism

Stage Three: Intellectually aware of the need to change

Stage Four: Mentally and emotionally self-motivated to change

Three of the four stages do not indicate lasting change. They are actually indicators that someone is ready for change for reasons outside of themselves. This can be dangerous because it can set families up to feel discouraged when change doesn’t happen or last very long. Here’s a breakdown.

Step One: Compelled by authority – This sort of change is generally caused by consequences. When someone is being arrested or held accountable for poor or illegal behaviors, an authority can require change as an attempt to stop destructive behavior. From a small child sitting in the principal’s office to a defendant sitting in a courtroom, this sort of change might seem good, but if the person isn’t willing or able to make the change, they will likely not change.

Step Two: Comply to escape criticism – Most people are influenced by acceptance and rejection. Think about it. People generally want to be liked or considered part of the group. Avoiding criticism can be a motivator to change, but it doesn’t guarantee that someone believes they should change. It simply means they are willing to modify their behavior in front of others.

Step Three: Intellectually aware – We may know we shouldn’t smoke or that we shouldn’t eat a pint of Ben and Jerry’s on the regular, right? What we know and what we do are often two different things. People die of lung cancer who fully knew that cigarettes are carcinogenic. People have seen their blood panel results with sky-high cholesterol and still shop the ice cream aisle at the store.

Step Four: Self-motivated for change – People are ready for and generally achieve long-lasting change when they are motivated from within. It may take a collision of the first three steps coming together to finally make an emotional and internal impact that motivates real change. When someone is truly motivated from within, change is likely to be permanent.

Knowing the stages of readiness for change can help you support a loved one or know for yourself how likely change is. Being able to be honest about what is motivating change can help keep things moving in the right direction.