What is Pros and cons?
Pros and cons is a technique that asks a person to list and compare the advantages and disadvantages of changing or not changing their behavior. It makes the trade-offs explicit and can tip the decisional balance toward change.
How it works
The technique draws on the Transtheoretical Model’s decisional balance construct: people in the contemplation stage are weighing whether the benefits of change outweigh the costs. By making both sides explicit, the exercise can reveal that the person has been overweighting costs and underweighting benefits (or vice versa). It is most useful for people who are ambivalent rather than those who have already decided.
Applied example
A person considering whether to reduce their alcohol consumption lists: Pros of reducing (better sleep, more energy, save money, lose weight) vs. Cons (miss social rituals, feel awkward at parties, stress relief habit). Seeing the list makes the balance visible and often reveals that the pros significantly outweigh the cons.
Why it matters
Pros and cons externalizes the internal deliberation process, making it easier to evaluate and often revealing that the case for change is stronger than it felt when the arguments were jumbled together in the person’s mind.
