Salutogenesis
Antonovsky [1] identifies the dominant paradigm of Western medicine as pathogenic which in turn leads to an understanding of health as dichotomous – one is either healthy or sick.
[3] In his 1979 book, Health, Stress and Coping, Antonovsky described a variety of influences that led him to the question of how people survive, adapt, and overcome in the face of even the most punishing life-stress experiences.
Antonovsky argued that over time, in response to positive experiences provided by successful use of different resources, an individual would develop an attitude that was "in itself the essential tool for coping".
“But without rules, guidelines, criteria for setting priorities; without some significant thread of continuity between past, present and future; without some degree of harmony, we are lost.
[1] Load balance: “Load experiences are those which make demands upon us to act, to mobilize resources for task performance.”[13] Overload occurs when there are not enough resources to meet demand and underload occurs when “life is so structured that one’s skills, abilities, interests and potential have no channel for expression.”[2] “Much as unused muscles atrophy, so do unused skills, capacities and potentialities.”[13] Again, Antonovsky[2] stresses that this varies across cultural settings.
The scale, an elaborated version of the personal SOC, includes 12 items, was found as a predictor of adjustment to stress situations and mental health among children adolescents and adults.
This pattern suggests that while SOCC can be a salutogenic factor in promoting community resilience and mental health, it can also act as a barrier to positive intergroup relationships, particularly in intractable political, ethnic, or religious conflicts.
In these situations, community members with a strong SOCC are more likely to adhere to their own collective narratives and reject those of out-groups, potentially perpetuating conflict and hindering reconciliation.
[28][29] The review of recent literature on SOCC[30] demonstrates its dual role as both a salutogenic factor in fostering community resilience and mental health and as a potential barrier to positive intergroup relations.
This complexity highlights the need for nuanced approaches in conflict resolution and community development, taking into account the impact of SOCC on group dynamics and intergroup relations.
Understanding and addressing the ways in which strong SOCC contributes to conflict and separation, as well as exploring mediating factors and individual differences, could provide new insights for fostering openness and reconciliation in divided communities.
[32] Research indicates that heightened SONC, particularly in times of conflict or stress, can reinforce national narratives and decrease the willingness to legitimize the perspectives of "out-groups.
"[33] This tendency has profound implications for conflict resolution and peace building efforts, highlighting the need for strategies that balance national coherence with openness and empathy towards different narratives.
The role of SONC is not limited to political conflicts but also extends to social-political situations like pandemics, where it relates to trust in government and mental health outcomes.
[34][35][28] Understanding SONC can thus offer valuable insights into the interplay between national identity, social cohesion, and conflict dynamics, crucial for formulating effective interventions in divided societies.
In essence, SONC is a double-edged sword: it provides psychological security and continuity within a group but can also contribute to intergroup tension and conflict when it becomes overly rigid or exclusive.
[36] The Ottawa Charter[37] states that health is created and lived by people within their everyday life settings (i.e. where they learn, work, play, love).
Based on the Salutogenic Model of Health, this raises the question in how far people experience a sense of coherence not only overall (“Global Orientation to Life”), but also specifically in interaction with these everyday settings.
Following this thought, Bauer and Jenny suggested the concept of “Work-related Sense of Coherence” (Work-SoC) defined as the perceived comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningful- ness of an individual's current work situation.
The nine-item German Work-SoC scale has been translated into English, Norwegian, Finnish, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, Chinese, and Czech.
In 2010, Lindström and Eriksson published The Hitchhiker's Guide to Salutogenesis: Salutogenic Pathways to Health Promotion,[43] currently available in English, Spanish, Catalan, French, Norwegian, Italian, German, and Polish.
In 2007, Bengt Lindström together with Maurice Mittelmark initiated the “Global Working Group on Salutogenesis” of the “International Union of Health Promotion and Education” which he chaired until 2017.
