AIDSQuest: The HIV/AIDS Survey Library
Behavioral and Social Theories Commonly Used
in HIV Research

I. Theory for Individual and Social Change or Empowerment Model

This theory asserts that social change happens through dialogue to build up a critical perception of the social, cultural, political, and economic forces that structure reality, and by taking action against forces that are oppressive. In other words, empowerment should increase problem solving in a participatory fashion, and should enable participants to understand the personal, social, economic, and political forces in their lives in order to take action to improve their situations.

Much of this information was obtained from Karusa Kiragu and Julie Pulerwitz, "Application of behavior change theory to HIV programs: Lessons learned from operations research at Horizons," unpublished manuscript, with some input from Rachel King's "Sexual behavioral change for HIV: Where have theories taken us?" June 1999.