Between responsibility and guilt: personal responsibility in physiotherapy

Abstract

Personal health responsibility has different meanings. One might mean that unhealthy lifestyles bring about disease and illness, or that the outcome of physiotherapy treatment depends on the patient’s effort. But it can also mean that we have moral obligations towards ourselves, those close to us, or the society. When these obligations are not met, personal responsibility can entail guilt and blame. The purpose of this paper is to show how the concept accommodates both the uncontroversial and the far more controversial. Therefore, there is a danger of talking past each other when discussing the topic. Since personal responsibility is a natural part of physiotherapy, through the emphasis on training and home exercises, there is reason to think about the concept.

Keywords

• personal responsibility
• lifestyle
• health priorities
• physiotherapy
• bioethics