Empowerment: Key Definition

Key Definition: Empowerment theory in community psychology emphasizes the importance of increasing individuals’ and communities’ control over their lives. It focuses on promoting social change and addressing power imbalances to enhance well-being and social justice. This theory highlights the significance of participation, collaboration, and capacity-building to foster positive individual and collective outcomes within communities. Learn what empowerment is, why it is important, how it works and what are the various dimensions and types of empowerment. Explore the role of Self Help Groups and microfinance in empowering individuals and communities in India. Empowerment is the power granted by one person or institution to another. The government can grant empowerment to a department to effect change, or a person can grant empowerment to her lawyer to sign contracts on her behalf. Empowerment refers to gaining the inner and outer tools to take control of one’s environment, such as choosing where to live, what to eat, or how to lead a fulfilling life with dignity and self-determination.