Salutogenesis and Resilience: State of the art and new Perspectives in Theory and Research

Abstract

Rationale: The model of salutogenesis developed by Antonovsky more than three decades ago has stimulated extensive research, controversial debates and many practical approaches especially in the area of health promotion. As a global theory on the determinants of health, in particular questions on the role of the sense of coherence and resistance resources in predicting diverse health outcomes and in coping with different stressors and life events have been studied. Recently, new attention has been directed at the concept of resilience that seems rather similar to the model of salutogenesis. Aims: Where are we and what should be the next steps? In this symposium, 4 experts with wide experience in salutogenic theory and research have been invited to review the state of art, to discuss crucial problems and to indicate new perspectives of research that are especially relevant for health psychology. Questions on the contributions of salutogenesis and resilience research will be addressed in the area of work, in longitudinal studies, and in the development of salutogenic theory integrating subjective and social factors. What are the crucial questions for future salutogenic research and what are the next steps to further developing salutogenic models? Timetable and participants: 4 oral presentations, each 17 minutes + 3 minutes discussion (4 x 20 = 80 minutes), common discussion of all participants, 20 minutes Participants: Toni Faltermaier (University of Flensburg, Germany) Georg Bauer (ETH Zürich, Switzerland) Taru Feldt (University of Jyväskylä, Finland) Lydia Lyssenko (University of Freiburg, Germany) Common discussion