Open AccessPartnerships. Healthy communities and civil discourse: a leadership opportunity for public health professionals
Author(s) -
John Kesler
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
public health reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.202
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1468-2877
pISSN - 0033-3549
DOI - 10.1093/phr/115.2.238
Subject(s) - public health , public relations , politics , democracy , lawrence kohlberg's stages of moral development , civil society , political science , sociology , work (physics) , public administration , medicine , law , nursing , moral reasoning , mechanical engineering , engineering
The author argues that the Healthy Communities movement provides public health professionals with an opportunity to become not just community leaders but also agents of change in a broad political sense. Extending the work of Kohlberg and other developmental psychologists, the author describes five levels of civil discourse. Professionals who practice the inclusive, consensus-oriented level of discourse, which is consistent with the philosophy of Healthy Communities, can help reinvigorate civil society and democracy as a part of making their communities healthier.