Freedom, responsibility and power: contrasting approaches to health psychology

In Health Psychology in Context it was argued that, if we are to make any sense of it, the subject matter of health psychology must be understood in the context of social, political and economic forces. That theme is continued here with a brief examination of how freedom, responsibility and power enter into the generation of conflicts, including the recent outbreak of war. The interplay of commercial and state interests in academic and health research settings is then discussed. The assumptions, values and meanings of work in health psychology are examined in that light. These are divided between four evolving approaches in health psychology: clinical, public, community and critical health psychology. A framework is presented for positioning these approaches within a system for the production of health and social care.