In classical medicine, the concept of health is defined as the absence of illness, discomfort or suffering. This dichotomous understanding divides people into two categories: sick or healthy. The focus is on the development, prevention and treatment of diseases and their risk factors. This disease-oriented understanding of pathogenesis falls short. It does not explain why some people feel healthy despite having an illness or how certain people manage to cope well with stressful situations while others suffer under similar conditions (Mortsiefer & van den Brekel-Dijkstra, 2024).
In comparison, the salutogenesis approach focuses on the development of health and the strengthening of coping resources on an individual, social and ecological level. Health and illness are not fixed states, but form a continuum. People are constantly moving along this continuum and can also have healthy parts despite illness. This dynamic process depends heavily on how well people can establish and maintain an active state of equilibrium in the face of hazards and stressors and how well they can cope with these negative influences (Mortsiefer & van den Brekel-Dijkstra, 2024).
The Positive Health concept is directly linked to the salutogenetic perspective. Instead of asking about deficits and problems, the focus is on the skills and resources that make people strong in everyday life. This expanded understanding of health helps people to cope better with physical, emotional and social challenges in everyday life and to make self-determined decisions about their own affairs.
Positive Health comprises six central dimensions that together paint a comprehensive picture of health:
Source: https://positivehealth-international.com/dialogue-tools/
By systematically assessing and reflecting on these dimensions, knowledge about one's own health is expanded and control over health-related factors is promoted. This enables people to make targeted changes that increase their well-being (Mortsiefer& van den Brekel-Dijkstra, 2024). It becomes clear - health is much more than the absence of illness. Health manifests itself in the ability to lead a life that is experienced as meaningful, fulfilling and self-determined despite existing burdens and limitations (Burke et al., 2024).