Allen Tough studied intentional changes among adults through interviews with 150 individuals about the largest change they intentionally made in the past two years. He found that nearly a third reported a huge change, most commonly in career, relationships, or activities. Individuals themselves were the primary resource for choosing, planning and implementing these changes, with professionals playing a small role. Tough outlined implications for improving support of intentional changes, including better help with goals and planning, and ensuring individuals retain most control over the change process. He remained optimistic about the future potential for supporting intentional changes.

1. INTENTIONAL
CHANGES
A FRESH APPROACH TO HELPING PEOPLE
CHANGE
Sonya Jacobs
ADE 6966 – Master’s
Seminar 2013
Allen Tough

2. Allen Tough 1936-2012





Canadian Adult
Educator, Futurist, Resea
rcher, Author
Prof Emeritus University
of Toronto
Self Directed Learning
Informal Learning
SETI(search for extraterrestrial
Books




intelligence)


1967: Learning Without a
Teacher
1971: The Adult's
Learning Projects
1982: Intentional
Changes
1991: Crucial Questions
About the Future
1995: A Message from
Future Generations
2000: When SETI
Succeeds: The Impact of
High-Information Contact

3. Chapters
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Focusing on Intentional Changes
Areas of Change
The Size and Importance of Intentional
Changes
Who Chooses, Plans, and Implements
the Changes
Implications for Improving Professional
Practice and Policy
An Optimum Amount of Professional
Control
Significant Directions for Research
An Optimistic Future for Intentional
Changes

4. Objectives and Results

Study

A comprehensive study focusing on intentional changes among
adults. Different approaches to the way adults implement change
Conducted personal interviews with 150 individuals (Canada, the
United States, and England)
 Each person was asked to asked to recall their largest, most
important intentional change during the past two years
 Almost all of the 150 respondents reported significant changes,
and 31 percent were able to describe “a huge or enormous
change” within the two year period.


•
•

Change contains two key elements
Choice (conscious choice, with intention, not coerced,
voluntary)
Striving or action (The person took steps to achieve change)
Findings

5. Table 1- Areas of Change
Area
Percentage
Career, job, and training
33
Human relationships, emotions, and
self-perception
21
Enjoyable activities
11
Residence location
10
Maintenance of home and finances
7
Physical health
7
Volunteer helping activities3
3
Religion
3
Basic competence (in reading,
driving, etc.)
3
Each figure indicates the percentage of adults whose largest, most important intentional change in the past two years falls primarily
within the given area. N = 144. Source: Allen Tough. Intentional Changes: A Fresh Approach to Helping People Change. Chicago:
Follett.,1982, p. 26.

6. Table 2 – Extent to Which Various Resources
Contributed to Choosing, Planning, and
Implementing the Changes
Resource
Choosing
Planning
Implementing
The person
himself/herself
68
69
73
Non-professionals in
individual one to one
interaction
23
19
16
In a group
2
2
1
Professionals in
individual one to one
interaction
3
7
6
0.3
1
2
4
4
2
In a group
Books/other resources
For each of the three tasks in turn, each interviewee distributed 100 percentage points among the various resources. This table
presents the means of those percentages. Source: Allen Tough. Intentional Changes: A Fresh Approach to Helping People Change.
New York: Chicago: Follett.,1982, p. 53.

7. Implications for Improving
Professional Practice and Policy
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Improve individual
competence and managing
change
Develop better help with
goals and planning
Increase information about
opportunities and resources
Reduce undue restriction on
freedom of choice
Widen the range of
opportunities and resources
Improve ongoing support
from nonprofessionals
Improve the effectiveness of
professional helpers

8. An Optimum Amount of Professional
Control
Continuum of Control
0
100%
______________________________________
_____
Person has zero control because the help has complete control
control
Person retains 100% of
Who controls the Choice of the Change, Strategy Decisions, Implementation Activities?
Source: Allen Tough. Intentional Changes: A Fresh Approach to Helping People Change. New York: Chicago: Follett.,1982, p. 105.

9. Chapters 7 & 8
An Optimistic Future for Intentional
Changes
Significant Directions for Research




Place of Intentional
Changes within all
changes
Basic surveys of
Intentional changes
Causes of over
control
Needs for Additional
help



Significant
Directions for Policy
and Practice
Implications for
Research
Achieving the full
potential

10. Reference:
Tough, A. (1982) Intentional Changes:
A fresh approach to helping people
change. Chicago: Follett.