Psychology as a theoretical foundation for health education in nursing: empowerment or social control?

This article explores the relationship between psychology and health education and illustrates how ostensibly 'neutral' models and theories of psychology can be used by conflicting health education philosophies and ideologies. We contend both that health education is an intrinsic element of nursing (which, for the purpose of this article, also includes health visiting and midwifery) and that psychology legitimately underpins practice. Our concern in this article is in the potential application of models and theories of health-related behaviour such as the health belief model (Rosenstock et al 1988), the theory of reasoned action (Fishbein & Ajzen 1985) and the stages of change model (Prochaska & DiClemente 1982) to the health education elements of nursing practice without an awareness and scrutiny of their particular ideological standpoint, and contrasting relationships to power, and thus an understanding of the potential ambiguity regarding their role and function.