What is the function of self-monitoring in behavior change?

Self-monitoring plays a crucial role in behavior change by increasing an individual's awareness and responsibility for their actions. When individuals engage in self-monitoring, they actively observe and record their behaviors, which allows them to reflect on their actions and understand the patterns that may be influencing their behavior. This heightened awareness can lead to greater accountability, as individuals become more conscious of how their behaviors align with their goals.

By fostering self-awareness, self-monitoring empowers individuals to identify areas for improvement and motivates them to take ownership of their behavior change process. This can ultimately lead to more sustained behavior changes, as the individual learns to recognize the consequences of their actions and adjust accordingly.

In contrast, options that suggest self-monitoring serves to help others track behavior or provide external rewards do not capture the intrinsic nature of self-monitoring, which is fundamentally about personal accountability. Similarly, the idea that self-monitoring decreases motivation is contrary to its purpose, as it is designed to enhance motivation through increased awareness.