Aaron Antonovsky
Encyclopedia
Aaron Antonovsky PhD, was an Israeli American
sociologist
and academician
whose work concerned the relationship between stress
, health
and well-being.
Antonovsky was born in the United States but emigrated to Israel in 1960 after completing his PhD at Yale University
. For a time he held positions in Jerusalem at the Israeli Institute for Applied Social Research and in the Department of Medical Sociology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
/Hadassah. During this period his early work emphasized social class differences in morbidity and mortality.
In 1972 he helped establish the medical school at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
, and held the Kunin-Lunenfeld Chair in Medical Sociology. During his twenty years in that Department, Antonovsky developed his theory of health and illness, which he termed Salutogenesis
. This model was described in his 1979 book, Health, Stress and Coping, followed by his 1987 work, Unraveling the Mystery of Health. The books were acclaimed among health scholars as an important contribution to understanding the relationship between health and illness.
A key concept in Antonovsky's theory concerns how specific personal dispositions serve to make individuals more resilient to the stressors they encounter in daily life. Antonovsky identified these characteristics, which he claimed helped a person better cope (and remain healthy) by providing that person a "sense of coherence" about life and its challenges; he developed a scale (Orientation to Life Questionnaire) to measure it. Recent research in psychoneuroimmunology
has supported the relationship between emotions and health contained in Antonovsky's theory. Antonovsky died in 1994, but research using his theory continues by social scientists.
Israeli American
Israeli Americans are Americans of Israeli descent. According to the 2000 census, there were 106,839 people of Israeli ancestry in the United States.- Demographics :...
sociologist
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and academician
Academician
The title Academician denotes a Full Member of an art, literary, or scientific academy.In many countries, it is an honorary title. There also exists a lower-rank title, variously translated Corresponding Member or Associate Member, .-Eastern Europe and China:"Academician" may also be a functional...
whose work concerned the relationship between stress
Stress (biology)
Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...
, health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
and well-being.
Antonovsky was born in the United States but emigrated to Israel in 1960 after completing his PhD at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. For a time he held positions in Jerusalem at the Israeli Institute for Applied Social Research and in the Department of Medical Sociology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
/Hadassah. During this period his early work emphasized social class differences in morbidity and mortality.
In 1972 he helped establish the medical school at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is a university in Beersheba, Israel, established in 1969. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has a current enrollment of 17,400 students, and is one of Israel's fastest growing universities....
, and held the Kunin-Lunenfeld Chair in Medical Sociology. During his twenty years in that Department, Antonovsky developed his theory of health and illness, which he termed Salutogenesis
Salutogenesis
Salutogenesis is a term coined by Aaron Antonovsky, a professor of medical sociology. The term describes an approach focusing on factors that support human health and well-being, rather than on factors that cause disease...
. This model was described in his 1979 book, Health, Stress and Coping, followed by his 1987 work, Unraveling the Mystery of Health. The books were acclaimed among health scholars as an important contribution to understanding the relationship between health and illness.
A key concept in Antonovsky's theory concerns how specific personal dispositions serve to make individuals more resilient to the stressors they encounter in daily life. Antonovsky identified these characteristics, which he claimed helped a person better cope (and remain healthy) by providing that person a "sense of coherence" about life and its challenges; he developed a scale (Orientation to Life Questionnaire) to measure it. Recent research in psychoneuroimmunology
Psychoneuroimmunology
Psychoneuroimmunology is the study of the interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems of the human body...
has supported the relationship between emotions and health contained in Antonovsky's theory. Antonovsky died in 1994, but research using his theory continues by social scientists.