SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER - EMPOWERMENT IDEOLOGY AS SOCIAL-INTERVENTIONAND POLICY

The popularity, and subsequent ambiguity, in the use of the term ''emp owerment'' has created an even greater need for reassessment in the ap plied context than in the theory and research literatures. This paper outlines some of the areas of community, organizational, and societal level social intervention and policy ostensibly based on the concept o f empowerment. These include neighborhood voluntary associations (for environmental protection, community crime prevention, etc.), self-help groups, competence-building primary prevention, organizational manage ment, health care and educational reforms, and national and internatio nal community service and community development policies. Issues in ap plying social research to community organizations and to legislative a nd administrative policy making are reviewed. Ten recommendations are offered, including the value of a dialectical analysis for helping res earchers and policy makers/administrators make more effective use of e mpowerment theory and research.