Salutogenesis is the science of the emergence and maintenance of health. Salus comes from Latin and means health, the word part -genesis literally means emergence. Thus, salutogenesis can be seen as the counterpart to pathogenesis, which describes the development of disease. In the 1970s, the medical sociologist Aaron Antonovsky investigated the question of which factors influence salutogenesis. He developed a theoretical model of the characteristics needed to become and remain healthy.
Antonovsky’s investigation
Antonovsky conducted a study of adaptability to menopause using a group of women who had been imprisoned in concentration camps at a young age. He compared their ability to cope with this particular hormonal state with that of a control group. Despite the pre-existing stress of their time in the concentration camps, there were women whom Antonovsky rated as completely healthy, both physically and mentally. They seemed to have endogenous resources that kept them healthy despite the bad experiences (stressors). Antonovsky’s study added the aspects of salutogenesis to the usual focus of science on the development of disease (pathogenesis) until then. It quickly became clear that there were major differences between approaching disease from a salutogenetic or pathogenetic perspective. Pathogenesis seeks to prevent disease. Salutogenesis, on the other hand, seeks to achieve an attractive health goal. It is not then the avoidance of high blood sugar through diet that is the focus in diabetes mellitus, for example, but rather the successful jogging session that leads to an overall sense of well-being. Further research then focused more on how health is created and how it can be maintained.
The sense of coherence
A concept that is closely related to salutogenesis is the sense of coherence. It was coined by Antonovsky and means a sense of belonging and a deep inner satisfaction with oneself and others. Three components are important for the sense of coherence:
- Understandability: the ability to make connections between the events that life holds.
- Manageability: the ability to deal with events.
- Meaningfulness: the conviction that all events have a meaning. Through this conviction, it is easier to accept the events.
These three qualities every person develops within his first 20 years of life. Depending on how strongly they are pronounced, people can deal differently well with crises, for example, with drastic experiences such as the death of a family member, with stressful phases at work or even with an illness. How healthy we are therefore depends to a large extent on the expression of the three characteristics.
Resilience and salutogenesis
The two terms resilience and salutogenesis are closely related. Resilience means something like resilience. The more resilient we are, the better our bodies are able to ward off disturbances, the healthier we remain. For example, there are people who never get sick, even though they are exposed to many potentially pathogenic circumstances. Others, on the other hand, lie in bed with fever or symptoms of exhaustion even during mild stressful situations. The former are more resilient because they can draw on personal resources in critical situations and see a crisis as an opportunity for further development.
How do I stay healthy?
Pathogenesis and salutogenesis can be well described through theoretical models. But how does one achieve a sense of coherence in practice, as described by Antonovsky? Personal resistance resources, such as intelligence, flexibility, farsightedness, material wealth, the social network and the immune system, play an important role. Those who have a high standard of living, many friends and a good education have the best prerequisites for staying healthy. Health is therefore strongly dependent on external circumstances. However, positive self-assessment and work on one’s own identity are just as crucial. Only those who are at peace with themselves can remain healthy in the long term. Finally, it should be noted that health is a process and not a state. There are always phases in life in which illness or health predominates.However, a balanced lifestyle that promotes resistance resources and sets attractive health goals in the spirit of salutogenesis is the best way to stay healthy in the long term.
