The Four-Room Apartment

The Four-Room Apartment model was developed by Claes Janssen. It gives us a strong illustration of how people react to change, and to help people see where they and others may be in the change process.

These are presented in the order that we experience them:

• Contentment: We like the status quo.
• Denial: We are afraid to admit that things have changed. We spend a lot of energy holding onto the past. When the change is traumatic or brutal, we spend less time here because the reality is indisputable.
• Confusion: We still have some anxiety, but we are ready for constructive action.
• Renewal: We have lots of energy for creative work. We then go back to being content until the next change happens.