It's always both: Changing individuals requires changing systems and changing systems requires changing individuals

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Intervention Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Interventions are often framed as either focusing on individual behavior change or systemic/structural change.
• This dichotomy can lead to an incomplete understanding and application of intervention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reframe the understanding of intervention approaches beyond a binary opposition.
• To highlight the integrated nature of individual and structural dimensions in all interventions.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of intervention frameworks.
• Literature review on system change and individual change theories.
• Synthesis of existing intervention models.

Main Results:

• "s-Frames" (system) and "i-Frames" (individual) are interpretive lenses, not opposing types of interventions.
• All interventions inherently possess both individual and structural components.
• Prioritizing one dimension over the other is counterproductive.

Conclusions:

• Effective interventions require the integration of both individual and structural change.
• Adopting a holistic perspective enhances intervention design and outcomes.
• Future research should focus on synergistic approaches to intervention science.