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Health: A Personal Complex-Adaptive State

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Abstract

Defining health has been a long-term endeavour, each attempt taking a particular perspective that emphasises one aspect of the experience of health over others. It is notable that only the WHO definition mentions disease—the “enemy” that needs to be wiped out—as part of the health definition; all others emphasise personal aspects that result in the experience ofpersonal health(Table 15.1). The experience of health is essentially personal and has been equated to well-being and happiness. The dynamics between personal internal and external factors determine theexperience of health, be it good health or poor health, or be it in the presence or the absence of discrete diseases. People can report poor health in terms of illness or disease rather than their specific conditions (diseases).

‘Good health–it depends on who you are, where you live

the society around you–and in particular on the person

you are. There is no common denominator. What is good

for one, cannot help 2000’. (Arctic Fisherman)[1]

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Notes

  1. 1.

    A detailed discussion on the framework of self-perception of health has been provided by Marja Jylhä. She proposes a contextual framework of evaluation of self-rated health encompassing culturally and historically varying conceptions of “health”; resorting to reference groups, comparison with earlier health experiences, health expectations, positive or negative dispositions, and depression; and cultural conventions in expressing positive and negative opinions and in the use of a rating scale [19].

  2. 2.

    Adoption of the medical model, a person’s social network, pain, functional loss, feelings of vulnerability, dependency, low mood and fatigue, ideas related to disease progression, and expectations of TKR.

  3. 3.

    Homeostasis refers to Cannon’s concept of maintaining a stable internal state within boundaries which are maintained through regulatory feedback loops (also see Chap. 10).

  4. 4.

    Originally attributed to Hippocrates.

  5. 5.

    Many infectious diseases (tuberculosis and malaria however remain a major cause of mortality), vaccination preventable diseases, cataracts, joint replacement, and most atrial and ventricular septal defects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Practice, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Joachim P. Sturmberg

  2. The Newcastle University, Newcastle, 3010, Wamberal, NSW, 2260, Australia

    Joachim P. Sturmberg

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  1. Joachim P. Sturmberg
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Correspondence to Joachim P. Sturmberg .

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  1. , Department of General Practice, Monash University, PO Box 3010, Wamberal, 2260, New South Wales, Australia

    Joachim P. Sturmberg

  2. Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Merchandise Mart Plaza, Suite 1212 222, Chicago, 60654, Illinois, USA

    Carmel M. Martin

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Sturmberg, J.P. (2013). Health: A Personal Complex-Adaptive State. In: Sturmberg, J., Martin, C. (eds) Handbook of Systems and Complexity in Health. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4998-0_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4998-0_15

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