ANALYSIS OF THEORIES ; MODELS OF ADVOCACY & SOCIAL CHANGE
Introduction
In the modern world of research, numerous individual has come out to increase the depth
of studies conducted previously regarding the diverse areas of study in the world currently.
Among the many areas of study, socioeconomics has become a core area of research mainly due
to its application in the everyday lives of people around the globe. Additionally, society and
economics are heavily linked primarily because the efficient functioning of society relies on a
healthy economy (Wilks, 2012). Based on this, numerous studies and theories have been
forwarded in the field practising advocacy for social change and social actions pertinent to social
change. These areas of study, which have been a subject of research for decades now allow for
continuous social, economic, and political development. In this light, this paper will analyze four
theories on advocacy and social change, subsequently developing a comparative analysis of the
respective theories. Before this, it is, however, crucial to describe the selected advocacy models
and theories of social change.
Brief Description of Selected Advocacy Models
According to Stewart & MacIntyre (2019), advocacy has existed in different countries
around the world for decades now, at least since countries and their citizens developed the need
of improving themselves, economies, and societies among other core facets of human life.
Consequently, advocacy takes different forms and also has different characteristics but the base
line is that there are five models of advocacy used in research. For this essay, self-advocacy and
peer advocacy will be selected in undertaking a comparative analysis of the same.
In simple terms, self-advocacy can be defined as an approach used by an individual in
addressing various social, economic or political issues affecting their living. An example of self-
advocacy in work is when a student issues a request to have more books available to them in a
ANALYSIS OF THEORIES & MODELS OF ADVOCACY & SOCIAL CHANGE
library for better studies. Self-advocacy is therefore based on personal interests or grievances
with the purpose of improving personal wellbeing among other personal rights. This approach is
developed over time and involves self-discovery whereby an individual comes in terms with his
or her social needs. After this, the individual masters the courage to address the issues that he or
she faces. Through this, therefore, self-advocacy comes in handy. This attitude mostly involves
individuals’ personal initiatives and not influence from any forces,
On the other hand, peer advocate as a model of social advocacy refers to individuals, usually of
the same background or who share a common grievance join forces to seek improvement of
specific social, economic or political issues affecting them. It, therefore, means that peer
advocacy is done collectively by a group of people sharing a common problem. Circumstances
dictate the approach individuals take and what decisions they make. Peer advocacy apart from
being a collective approach, is dictated by the circumstances the individuals undergo so as to
give them the motivation to fight for their interests.