Why most change fails
Most behaviour-change attempts target the action itself, eat less, drink less, exercise more, reach out, sleep earlier. They work for a while, then drift back.
Identity-level change reframes the goal: not 'I am trying to do X' but 'I am the kind of person for whom X is normal.' This shift makes the new behaviour easier to sustain because it is supported by self-concept, not opposed by it.
Structured awareness
AURIS uses structured awareness as the entry point to behaviour change. Without awareness, action is forced. With it, action is integrated.
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Related research papers
- Behavioural Change Through Structured AwarenessDOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17698830
- The Science of Sustainable Human ChangeDOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17698778
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- Psychology · 1 min readRegulation
Regulation is the set of skills and habits that keep the nervous system, emotions and attention workable under pressure.
- Psychology · 1 min readSelf-Concept
Self-concept is the organised set of beliefs you hold about yourself. It is updateable, and that is the work of transition.
- Psychology · 1 min readPurpose
Purpose is the felt sense that what you do matters. It is rebuilt deliberately, not waited for.
- Foundations · 1 min readWhat is Occupational Transition?
Occupational transition is the structured change of a person's primary role, leaving the military, the NHS, emergency services, elite sport or another high-identity occupation.
- Foundations · 1 min readWhy Identity Matters
Identity sits beneath wellbeing, performance, recovery and belonging. When we ignore it, support stalls. When we centre it, change becomes sustainable.
About the author
Gemma Gardner
Founder and Research Lead, AURIS Institute
Gemma Gardner leads the AURIS research programme on identity and occupational transition. Her work builds the evidence base behind the AURIS Framework and the Identity System, drawing on interviews with service leavers, families and the organisations that support them.
- Lead author, Identity Performance Psychology white paper series
- Principal investigator, AURIS identity adaptation interview programme
- Author of AURIS submissions on identity in occupational transition
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