Research and enactment of salutogenic approaches to healthy living have attracted increasing attention within the field of Health, Sport and Physical Education (HSPE) (see McCuaig & Quennerstedt 2018). The salutogenic model of health, suggested by Aaron Antonvosky, is a resource based, problem-solving model, which focuses attention on ‘what creates health rather than only what are the limitations and the causes of disease’ (Antonovsky, 1979, p. 12). Antonovsky proposed that the promotion of health is reliant on access to personal and social resources that can aid in combatting the stressors of life that also promotes a Sense of Coherence (SOC). SOC is, according to Antonovsky (1987), what makes the world comprehensible, manageable and meaningful, and thus helps seeing the world as making sense.
While health promotion researchers have focused almost exclusively on Antonovsky’s quantitative Sense of coherence (SOC) scale, (Eriksson, 2007), HSPE scholars have emphasised the potential of social theory to counter the absence of the sociological explorations of healthy living that Antonvosky emphasised in his original conceptualisation of salutogenesis. Notwithstanding the usefulness of this sociological research agenda, in this paper we offer some generative conditions under which HSPE researchers and practitioners might engage more meaningfully with Antonovsky’s SOC concept in terms of what creates meaningful, comprehensible and manageable life experiences.
We begin with a review of salutogenic theory, focusing attention on the emergence of the SOC within Antonovsky’s theorising. Following this, we draw on an Australian research project exploring teachers’ health work to demonstrate the analytic potential of SOC in discerning the extent to which health oriented caring teaching serves as a resource that promotes students’ and teachers’ health and wellbeing. We conclude with a brief overview of critical caveats and cautions that ensure researchers’ engagement with the SOC retains the fullness of Antonovsky’s salutogenic perspective.
References
Antonovsky, A. (1987). Unraveling the mystery of health: How people manage stress and stay well. Jossey-bass.
Antonovsky, A. (1979). Health, stress, and coping.
Eriksson, M. (2007). Unravelling the mystery of salutogenesis: the evidence base of the salutogenic research as measured by Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence Scale. Åbo Akademi.
McCuaig, L., & Quennerstedt, M. (2018). Health by stealth–exploring the sociocultural dimensions of salutogenesis for sport, health and physical education research. Sport, education and society, 23(2), 111-122.
2019. p. 53-53
AISEP International Conference, Building Bridges for Physical Activity and Sport, New York, USA, June 19-22, 2019