Working Toward Freedom from Violence

Abstract

This article explores the utility of applying the Transtheoretical Model of behavior change to the problems facing battered women with a goal of understanding and systematically measuring how battered women work to overcome the abuse in their lives. The central constructs of the Transtheoretical Model—stages of change, processes of change, decisional balance, self-efficacy—are described with supporting research, and the relevance of this model for the issues with which battered women deal is discussed. An awareness of the process and stages of change may be useful for members of the criminal justice system and the helping professions in their dealings with victims of abuse.