Health model in the concepts of salutogenesis of A. Antonovsky and stress

Abstract

This article discusses the health model concept of salutogenesis by A. Antonovsky and stress. About three hundred years defining paradigm in medicine has been the paradigm of pathogenesis. The word “pathogenesis” is derived from two Greek words: «pathein» – suffering, and “genesis” – the origin. The main question about pathogenesis- the origin of the disease. The question of how disease occurs can be prevented stands here in the foreground.
Salutogenesis explores the physical, mental and spiritual development. The word “salutogenesis” has two components: the Latin «salus, salutis- (health) and the Greek” genesis “(origin). Salutogenesis answers the following questions: so that man is able to stay somatically and psychologically healthy, in spite of the impact of stress. A. Antonovsky studied adaptability to Menopause Israeli women from different ethnic groups. One of these groups consisted of Jewish women who survived the Nazi concentration camps. A. Antonovsky stated that some of these women were able to preserve the health, contrary to what they had to endure the horrors of the concentration camps. Having discovered this, from the standpoint of A. Antonovsky salutogenesis formulated the following question: why some people remain healthy, despite the severe stress?
A. Antonovsky found that some of these women have adapted not worse than the control group (ie women who have never visited the concentration camps), despite such a traumatic experience, they were mentally healthy and happy, well coping with the age-related changes. Their status is not determined by the strength of stress, it is a determining factor that helped them, despite the stress, to stay healthy, and even turn it to their advantage. A. Antonovsky allocated superior quality, pronounced «sense of coherence» – «a sense of connectedness,” understanding the relationships of life. A. Antonov defines a sense of connectedness as “the general orientation of the individual”, based on three factors: comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness.
These three aspects, becomes able to lead to the fact that A. Antonovsky called sense of coherence (consistency): the person is experiencing meaningful relationship to himself and the world around them. When a person perceives themselves and the world, feels the creator, creating something meaningful,
feels internal support, then it is more likely to become healthier physically, mentally, spiritually and socially, and not break under the weight of life’s trials. Sense of coherence helps to cope with stress. Sense of coherence – the first construct, an incentive, outbound, and internal and external are ordered.
The resources of our organism and resources psyche quite meet the requirements that push these incentives. These incentives are challenges, which are to invest, to take. Those who have a “sense of coherence” see what is happening around a certain order, they feel that they can understand the events, are convinced that they have the skills, abilities, resources, to control, to control things and help yourself.

Key words: mental health, pathogenesis, concept of salutogenesis, coherent sense of mental resources, stressors, comprehensibility, manageability, meaningfulness.