Health, community and development: towards a social psychology of participation

The concept of ‘community participation’ plays a central role in policies and interventions seeking to reduce health inequalities. This paper seeks to contribute to debates about the role of participation in health by suggesting how social psychological concepts can add to the theorisation of participation. It criticises traditional concepts of development and introduces some of the challenged that are present for development and community theorists in conditions of rapid globalisation. The paper proceeds to demarcate the space which a social psychology of participation occupies within the terrain of existing research into the health-society interface. The concepts of empowerment and social capital are identified as important starting points to address the relative lack of social psychological attention to community-level determinants of health. It is suggested that social identities, social representations and power are crucial elements for constructing a social psychology of participation. The paper concludes by highlighting the vital link that should exist between the development of theory and practical interventions. Paulo Freire's notion of conscientisation is a guiding notion throughout the paper. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.