In this "psycho-social" approach, members of subordinate classes are challenged to critically "read" their political, economic and social reality through collective "decoding" of words and images drawn from their own concrete life situations. Martin and Williams observe:

In these ways the process of recreating language in written form is linked to critical discussion of the social reality. The literacy program is thus a step on the way to personal and social liberation, a refusal to be "domesticated" or adapted to external forces in the course of acquiring literacy skills 8

For Freire, mere technical mastery of the skills of reading and writing is insufficient. This "mechanical literacy" is:

the kind of literacy which interests the dominant classes when, for different reasons, they see some need to stimulate among the dominated classes their first entry into the world of letters. The more "neutral" this "entry", the better it pleases those with power.9

In Freire's view:

It is not enough to know mechanically the meaning of ‘Eve saw the vineyard'. It is necessary to know what position Eve occupies in the social context, who works in the vineyard, and who profits from this work 10

This form of literacy implies "critical comprehension of the social context". However, Freire's goal, that of "conscientiation", is not simply a mental process--it is composed of stages of both action and reflection. Liberatory education encourages:

a lucid awareness of one's situation through the critical analysis of reality, which presupposes concrete and practical action within and on that reality 11

Conscientization implies that members of subordinate classes will manifest their growing critical awareness through participation in organizations and movements for their own social and political liberation.

System

Freire recognizes the controversial nature of this approach, and is pessimistic about the possibilities of carrying it on within the institutionalized education system in a capitalist society: