I. Prilleltensky et al., The role of power and control in children's lives: An ecological analysis of pathways toward wellness, resilience and problems, J COMM APPL, 11(2), 2001, pp. 143-158
The literature on powerlessness, empowerment and control tends to be adult-
centric and psycho-centric. It is adult-centric in that most studies deal w
ith the experience of powerlessness in adults or interpret children's reali
ties from an adult point of view. At the same time, the literature is quite
psycho-centric in that it focuses on the emotional and cognitive dimension
s of powerlessness, to the relative neglect of social and political power.
The purpose of this article is to redress these biases and elucidate the ro
le of power and control in pathways toward health, resilience and problems
in children's lives. We define wellness as a satisfactory state of affairs,
brought about by the acquisition and development of material and psycholog
ical resources, participation and self-determination, competence and self-e
fficacy. Power and control are defined as opportunities afforded by social,
community, and family environments to develop these three dimensions of he
alth and wellness. We highlight basic research which describes pathways tow
ard wellness, resilience, and problems in life, as well as applied research
on promising interventions to improve children's health and wellness. This
literature is interpreted in terms of our conceptual framework that links
power/control and wellness through the three dimensions that we have propos
ed. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.