issue 1 09 - APS Member Groups - Australian Psychological Society

New Paradigms in Health Psychology104participation and capabilities domains.Affirmation comes from among other things,an acknowledgement of a person’s strengths,voice and choice. The fields of health andhuman services continue to be renowned forconcentrating on deficits, for fosteringclienthood and patienthood instead ofcitizenship. When empowerment and strengthsare promoted the experience of affirmationgrows (Prilleltensky, 2005). The SPECSframework can thus be considered the mosteffective new paradigm for health psychologyas it adopts a broad definition of health andtakes Engel’s model much further by actuallyidentifying the diverse domains and processesthat impact on healthcare and wellbeing, andoffers detailed solutions on how to combathealthcare structural problems.However, proper appreciation of theSPECS framework requires an understandingof how notions of oppression and powerdynamics relate to wellbeing. This permeatesthe whole framework. According toPrilleltensky and Gonick (1996) theontological nature of oppression may beunderstood from various levels of analysis,from the micro personal to the macrointernational level, from both psychologicaland political orientations. Political factors referto the collective experience of individuals andgroups, informed by power relations andconflicts of interest at the interpersonal, family,group, community and societal levels(Prilleltensky, 2003). One of the politicalmechanisms accounting for oppression inemerging countries is the oppressive structureof international financial systems that lockemerging societies in a state of increasedeconomic dependency (Prilleltensky &Gonick, 1996). Such forms of oppressionusually devolve from the largest units, such asinternational governing bodies to the smallestunit, the individual.Psychological factors refer to thesubjective experience of the individual,informed by power dynamics operating at thepersonal, interpersonal, family, group and statelevels, the vehicles of which include learnedhelplessness, internalisation of hegemonicself-rejecting views and obedience toauthority (Prilleltensky & Gonick, 1996).The critical consciousness of a person,group or nation may be at varying stages inregard to different oppressing agents as anindividual may be aware of oppressiveforces at the interpersonal level, but may beunaware of subjugating influencescontrolling at the class or state level(Prilleltensky & Gonick, 1996). Cultivatinga strong sense of self-awareness createsresistance to both internal psychological andexternal political structures, beginning theprocess of liberation that is fundamental toattaining wellbeing (Prilleltensky & Nelson,2002).The SPECS model offers practicaltransformative interventions that utilisethese insights about the relationship betweenpower and oppression and wellbeing. It isthe conditioning processes that occur in themajor educative institutions that dictate thevalues and norms that create the fabric ofsociety. Prilleltensky and Gonick (1996)have proposed the formation of criticalconsciousness programs at all levels ofeducation that empower individuals andgive them greater insight into themselves,their environment and their capacity tocreate change and transformation. Statisticshave consistently demonstrated the highcorrelation between education, as impactingupon socio-economic standing, and socioeconomicstanding impacting upon health(Watts & Abdul-Adil, 1994). Thus the taskof overcoming oppression and betteringindividual and collective wellbeing startswith the process of psychopoliticaleducation and ends in a greater personalawareness and action (Prilleltensky &Nelson, 2002). Furthermore, to move fromvalues to action in critical healthpsychology, Prilleltensky (2003) proposeswe assess all our activities against epistemicand transformational psycho politicalThe Australian Community Psychologist Volume 21 No 1 June 2009