Voluntarism and health education in nursing

The concept of voluntarism, as it applies to models of health education, underpins the nursing care of people who are chronically confused and their relatives. This article argues that voluntarism needs to be balanced by the notion of collectivism which takes full account of the contribution made by sociopolitical determinants of health. The central concepts of voluntarism and health education are defined and then the article proceeds to examine the extent to which voluntarism has underpinned various models of health education which can be used to support nursing practice. A critique of the concept of voluntarism, as used in health education, is provided. It is argued that models of health education which are polarized towards either voluntarism or collectivism are based on an inadequate understanding of human social action and that this polarization undermines the usefulness of these models of health education.