Understanding Critical Consciousness and Empowerment in Health
Critical Consciousness and Empowerment in Health
Critical consciousness: The generation of elements involved in social structures, evidenced by inequalities in power relations. It involves comprehending the reality of people’s lives and acquiring the power to transform structures. This leads to emancipation and empowerment. The method to reach this critical consciousness is through reflective dialogue between individuals in the community. Knowledge is shared, leading to social change.
Thoughts are modulated by social power relations and historically constituted. A symmetrical relationship between social classes favors sectors that are excluded, subject to change, and have the capacity to express their needs and develop behavioral changes to improve their interests and, sometimes, their quality of life. Social change is the ideal of excellence. Throughout this process, language is a central element.
The Concept of Empowerment in Health
The term “empowerment” was first used in the Fourth International Conference on Primary Health Care in Jakarta in 1997. Health empowerment is carried out by and for people, not about people. It improves the ability of individuals to take initiative and the ability of groups, organizations, or communities to influence health determinants.
Improving capacity requires education, training, leadership development, and access to resources. Empowering individuals demands consistent and reliable access to the decision-making process, as well as the skills and knowledge to effect change. Both traditional and new media communications support this process, highlighting the need for innovation at social, cultural, and spiritual levels.
Empowerment: A Summary
Empowerment is the process by which an individual has greater control over decisions and actions affecting their health. It involves the transfer and receipt of power, leading to self-responsibility. The process includes individual training to make decisions and take control of one’s own health. For example, a diabetic patient depends entirely on healthcare services. Empowerment also involves a group of people influencing the determinants of health to improve the quality of their community.
The Empowerment Process
Individuals or groups must be able to express their needs, present their interests, and draft strategies for involvement in decision-making. This leads to political, social, and cultural actions that solve the expressed needs. This process allows people to be actors, see the relationship between life goals and how to achieve them, and understand the correspondence between efforts, actions, and results.
Strategies of Empowerment in Health
- Active participation of the population: Democratization involves the state and society establishing new relationships to meet the demands of the population and decide on necessary services. This requires empowering society.
- Autonomy and responsibility: Managing needs with autonomy and responsibility.
- Integral Vision: A health system should not only be curative but also focus on prevention and promotion.
- Social organization and lifestyle conditions: The population should move from passive to active participation in promotion and prevention to improve quality of life.
- Educational role of the professional facilitator: People are the subject of their own learning.
Health Centers and Community Partnerships
Health centers, social services, public education, and community partnerships should focus on community health. This includes health center social services and educational services for citizens and associated organizations.