Time for a change as found in The Sunday Life, Nov. 18, 2001, by Wendy Tuohy is a feature article which identifies the major causes of radical change in the self. She discusses illness and extreme cases of stress as contributing factors to change in self depend on people's personality types. The article makes note that society has turned people's dissatisfaction in themselves into a market by providing exaggerated self-help guides that reduce change to a consumer item. The article outlines that change is significant whether small or radical has helped shape my understanding of change in self.
The hypothesis that radical change can be brought about by "illness", is expressed in this article. Wendy Tuohy exposed this idea through interviewing two people who had experienced life-changing illnesses. One of these two people, Ian Gawler was diagnosed with cancer and eventually had one of his legs amputated. After enduring these illnesses, both of them revamped their lives and now lead more fulfilling, satisfying lives. "It usually takes a large shock to prompt people to change their behaviour." "They are almost glad they had the illness, because it actually helped them make changes in their lives." We are told how Ian Gawler, a decathlete diagnosed with cancer given a few weeks to live, has a leg amputated, starts on a biodynamic diet and lives. His account is emotive and colloquial and involve the responder in their reactions to change. The tear out section on the side is also used to summarise the main ideas of that section and emphasises the impact of change.
Extreme stress is also a factor that can force people to change. The author then discusses how stress can bring about a "break-down", prompting self-evaluation and self-realisation. We are told how Mannix makes radical decisions by resigning from ABC and works for the Citymission a far less demanding job, after realizing that "stress" was reducing his quality of life.
