Self-Directed Change: Two Studies

Abstract

These studies describe two experiments testing the effectiveness of a new procedure for self-directed behavior change in a self-analytic group and investigating the effects of variations in the change technique. In both studies, graduate students in industrial management selected personal change goals and worked to achieve them during weekly or biweekly group meetings. Initial commitment to achieveing the change goal was significantly related to change for subjects in both experiments (p < .015). The 25 subjects in Experiment I who were in groups where exchange of feedback about the projects was encouraged reported significantly more change (p < .o3) than did the 21 subjects in groups where the projects were not discussed. In Experiment II, where all 54 subjects were encouraged to discuss the projects, it was found that the amount of discussion of an individual's project in the group during the second half of the semester was significantly related to both self-perceived change (p < .015) and to group leaders' ratings of change (p < .015).