Reflection Theory: Friere's Conscientisation Approach

Action – Reflection Theory

From the Freirean perspective, however, the preparation of health promoters should have two aims: firstly, to conscientise them so that they can change from being moral guardians to cultural change agents because moral guardianship in health workers acts as a barrier to health promotion; and secondly, to equip them with skills necessary to facilitate conscientisation in their clients. This will have implications for curriculum, teaching and learning methods, and clinical setting organisation.The health care training curriculum in Malawi is subsumed by medicine and operates under the influence of the biomedical model constructed within the positivist paradigm (see also McCall 1996; Roberts 2000). The biomedical model

As health authorities in Malawi were trained following biomedical or disease-oriented curricula, they may not support implementation of Friere’s conscientisation-oriented health promotion besides having problems to identify health trainers who can prepare health promoters to initiate the implementation of the Friere’s conscientisation approach in the facilities and communities. This can make health trainers or health authorities to become moral guardians when they are training the new health promoters or managing the health sector in order to main their social reputation in the

It may also transform health workers from being moral guardians to cultural change agents in their health promotion roles. Thus, conscientisation can enhance a radical change of social norms and values that disempower adolescents, communities and health workers to carry out ASRH promotion roles in culturally-conservative societies. It can enable people to emerge from oppressive structures created and sustained by the social