Healthy lifestyle psychological health. Abstract: Healthy lifestyle and psychology

Preserving, strengthening and preventing mental health is of great importance for a healthy lifestyle. The psycho-emotional state is one of the determining factors of our health, which manifests itself in the ability to control emotions, think positively, and maintain a balance between spiritual and physical development.

In this lesson we will introduce you to the basics of mental and psychological health, consider the characteristics of the psyche of children and adolescents, and also offer several useful recommendations on maintaining mental balance and training stress resistance.

What is mental health

The World Health Organization defines mental health (spiritual or emotional, sometimes mental health) as follows:

It is a state of well-being in which a person is able to realize his or her own potential, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and contribute to their community.

This term is quite broad, so several criteria are usually identified to determine mental health:

• awareness of the continuity, constancy and identity of one’s physical and mental self;
• a sense of constancy and identity of experiences in similar situations;
• criticality of oneself and one’s own mental production (activity) and its results;
• correspondence of mental reactions (adequacy) to the strength and frequency of environmental influences, social circumstances and situations;
• the ability to self-manage behavior in accordance with social norms, rules, laws;
• the ability to plan one’s own life activities and implement these plans;
• the ability to change behavior depending on changing life situations and circumstances.

In everyday life, these criteria are manifested in the degree of integration of the individual into society, the harmony of their assistance, balance, spirituality, inclusion in the system life values following the principles of kindness and justice, striving for self-development. In other words, mentally healthy man adequately assesses reality, shows interest in the world around him, coordinates his behavior and reaction to what is happening with environmental conditions, and is capable of introspection and reflection.

In cases where a person does not have these qualities, one can judge mental illness. It manifests itself in personal disorientation, avoidance of responsibility, dependence on bad habits, passivity, increased anxiety, loss of self-confidence, and hostility towards others.

But mental health cannot be approached only formally, because quite often adherence to certain behavioral norms can be determined by a set of factors on the basis of which it is inappropriate to judge mental disorders. Among them are socio-cultural characteristics, customs, traditions and foundations of different societies, features professional activity.

Mental and psychological health

A distinction should be made between mental and psychological health. Most generally, human mental health can be said to be a set of mental attitudes that allow one to adequately respond and adapt to environmental conditions. This is the correspondence of subjective ideas to objective reality, adequate perception of oneself, the ability to think critically and much more. Despite the frequent use of the term “mental health” as a synonym for mental health, there are differences between them. Psychological health in its definition is a broader concept; it characterizes the personality as a whole, takes into account the characteristics of volitional, motivational, cognitive, and emotional activity.

Why is it important to pay attention to your mental health?

Many have probably heard the phrase catchphrase: “All diseases come from nerves.” When a person has the flu or a cold, he takes pills, medicines, and undergoes a course of treatment. However, in a state of stress and anxiety, he does nothing. Business trainers and practicing psychologists note that if company employees who work a busy schedule under constant stress, from time to time take courses to strengthen stress resistance and get rid of anxiety, their productivity increases significantly. This has a positive effect not only on work, but also on relationships at all levels within the team, and contributes to a healthy atmosphere in the company.

It is known that when people receive appropriate mental health care, they are less likely to seek medical care overall. For example, in the USA, observation of people suffering from anxiety disorders showed that people who received help from a psychiatrist began to spend 35% less money on treatment for various diseases than those who did not turn to specialists. There is further evidence that people with unresolved mental health problems visit doctors twice as often as those receiving mental health care.

Excessive worry and stress can contribute to the development of certain heart diseases and weaken the immune system. Psychological problems also increase the likelihood of incorrect behavioral choices, which manifests itself in addiction to smoking and drugs, and alcohol abuse. According to unofficial estimates, even in the United States, a country with developed psychiatry, approximately every 4th adult suffers from diagnosable mental disorders.

To summarize, or why mental health is important:

1. There is a close relationship between the psyche and physical condition person. Feelings of anxiety, constant stress and worry can lead to deterioration in health (sleep disturbances, weakened immune system).
2. Addiction specialist, psychiatrist, MD D. Sack notes that people who take care of mental health tend to achieve greater success in their careers and earn more.
3. Mental health is very important in terms of communication, especially in the family. It allows you to maintain a healthy atmosphere among loved ones, raise children correctly, giving them the necessary care and psychological model for imitation.
4. Mentally healthy people are less likely to be influenced by negative social factors and less likely to commit illegal actions.
5. In 2012 in " British Medical Journal“The results of a study were published showing that the average life expectancy of mentally healthy people is higher than that of people with disorders. Moreover, the risk of dying from diseases of cardio-vascular system 94% higher in those who are susceptible to persistent depression and anxiety and cannot cope with them.

Thus, when a person is free from depression, anxiety, excessive stress and worry, as well as bad habits, he is able to live fully, be fully realized and enjoy.

Prevention and stress resistance

The pace of modern life and conditions in many areas of employment are such that people are constantly exposed to stress. If you do not know how to cope with them and neutralize their negative impact, the likelihood of depression, anxiety and restlessness increases. And they, in turn, are fraught with more serious mental disorders. But how can you determine your mental health status? Unlike Western countries, in our country visits to psychiatrists and psychologists are not so common, and people do not always have the opportunity to visit expensive specialists. You can determine your exposure to negative influences and your ability to cope with them by a set of some important symptoms. If you are constantly irritated, anxious and sleep poorly, constantly feel dissatisfied or angry, depend on sudden mood swings, this may indicate a stressful state and its negative impact on your body. The first thing to do in such a situation is to seek advice from a specialist doctor. You should also check out some tips to help maintain mental health and balance.

Most of us are familiar with the word stress resistance from lists of required qualities from job advertisements. This requirement means the ability in tense situations to concentrate and endure significant intellectual, volitional and emotional stress without harm to yourself and your activities. We propose to look at this skill in a little more detail in order to determine the aspects necessary for the development of such an important quality. Let's look at popular techniques that illustrate this problem.

The famous writer, psychologist and teacher Dale Carnegie in his book “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living” offers readers the following advice:

1. Your concerns should be focused only on today, since we cannot accurately predict the future or change the past.
2. “Keep busy. A person suffering from anxiety must lose himself completely in his work, otherwise he will wither away from despair.”
3. “Do not allow yourself to be upset over trifles that should be despised and forgotten. Remember that “life is too short to waste on trifles.”
4. “Study the facts. Ask yourself: “What are the odds legally large numbers"Will the event I'm worried about ever happen?"
5. "Face the inevitable."
6. “Let the past bury its dead. Don't cut sawdust."

Here are some modern ways to prevent mental health and reduce stress:

Method 1

1. Determine the nature of your stress: find the root causes. Try to look at the problem globally. If you don't have enough money, then the problem is most likely not in a small salary, but in a job that you don't like. Take time to be alone with yourself and write down in a notebook everything that causes you anxiety.

2. Make a plan to reduce the impact of stress in your life. This is necessary to make dealing with stress methodical. Include mandatory rest in your daily routine. Once you have identified sources of stress, try to spend less time on them. For example, if interacting with certain people causes tension, reduce it to a minimum. Don't overload your schedule with work. Find time to pursue hobbies and communicate with loved ones and friends. Recognize that you can't control everything. There will always be stressful elements around you in life, but their impact can be minimized. By eliminating the causes of stress that depend on you, you can learn to overcome external negative elements.

3. Share your problems with other people. These could be relatives, friends or work colleagues. This way, you won't have to deal with your stress alone, and an outside perspective will help you find an effective solution to the problem.

Method 2

1. Eliminate stress, resolve disturbing situations immediately. Don’t harbor grudges against friends and loved ones - immediately openly discuss all controversial issues with them. Likewise, resolve work conflicts and quarrels immediately. If stress is caused by uncertain events and scenarios, think through them in detail and make decisions as quickly as possible.

2. Avoid communicating with people who cause you stress. If you are dating a person who only causes you pain and resentment, it is time to end the relationship. If relationships with work colleagues cause stress, keep communication with them to a minimum. In general, spend less time hanging out with negative people and make friends with positive people. They can make your life happier.

3. Minimize the occurrence of stressful situations. If you feel uncomfortable in crowded clubs, you should not go there with friends just for company. If the commute to work is annoying, listen to light music on the way. Don't rush, give yourself enough time to prepare important events (weddings, vacations).

4. Learn to cope with stress. In conflict situations, always think before you speak. Remember that other people are also influenced by various negative factors, be kinder and more forgiving. It is better to be happy than to be right, so you need to be able to remain silent at a certain moment and refuse criticism.

Method 3

1. Engage in physical activity. This will help you be healthier and in control of your life. Swimming relaxes the mind, yoga teaches you to keep your mind under control, team events Sports promote communication and mutual understanding; hiking brings people together, strengthens the spirit, and helps to be closer to nature.

2. Meditate. Set aside 20 minutes a day for meditation. Relax completely at this time, concentrate on breathing, clear your mind of restless, negative thoughts.

3. Get a massage. It's great for relaxing after a busy day. You can stretch your neck and shoulders yourself, or you can ask a family member to massage you or go to a session with a specialist.

4. Eat right. Meals should be balanced. It is important to get enough energy at breakfast. You should avoid excessive consumption of caffeine and alcohol, and if possible, it is better to give up bad habits altogether.

5. Follow a sleep schedule. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Most people need at least 7 hours of sleep a day. Don't watch TV before bed, read a good book instead.

If you feel that you are unable to use these tips and cope with the problems in your life on your own, be sure to seek professional help. This will help you avoid the possible negative effects of stress.

Coping strategies test

Stress is most often viewed by many people from the negative side. But you must understand that stress is a natural reaction of the body, which helps it mobilize all its forces in a short period of time (this is connected specifically with the first two stages).

Stress is sometimes considered beneficial. For example, you've probably heard that a person develops when he leaves his comfort zone. This is a kind of stressful state. And existentialists believe that a person reveals himself precisely in borderline situations. We encountered this in our search for an answer to the question about the meaning of life in lesson No. 6 of our course.

Despite all the beneficial properties of stress, it is very important to be able to avoid moving from the second stage of resistance to the stage of exhaustion. To do this, there are various ways to cope with stress, which in psychotherapy are called coping strategies (from the English “cope” - cope, withstand, cope).

Coping strategy is an adaptive form of behavior that supports psychological balance in a problematic situation, these are ways consciously produced and aimed at overcoming a stressful situation.

To get acquainted with the types of coping strategies, we suggest you take a short test. To do this, click “Next”.

This test was created on the basis of the methodological development of scientists R. Lazarus and S. Folkman in 1980 - the Ways of Coping Checklist (WCC) questionnaire. The test is designed to determine ways to overcome difficulties in various areas: difficulties in work, difficulties in learning, difficulties in communication, difficulties in love, etc. Within this concept, overcoming difficulties is possible with the help of 8 strategies (behavior styles), which you will learn about after the test.

To correctly interpret the answers, you should follow several rules while taking the test:

• For the statements described, rate how often these types of behavior in difficult situations life situations appear on you.
• Answer as honestly as possible, only what is true for you, do not try to impress others.
• The test data will be recorded after you answer the last question and see confirmation of the end of the test. If you finish the test before the last question and close the page, the data will not be saved.
• The test can be taken any number of times, but remember that only the last one is saved. If you have already taken this test, a sign will appear in the left menu.

Mental health of children and adolescents

The psyche of children and adolescents is unstable and at a developing stage, so it is very important to try to protect their vulnerable mental health from negative impacts. The transition from late childhood to adolescence is accompanied by emotional ups and downs against the backdrop of hormonal changes in the child's body. Many teenagers are unable to cope with this condition on their own, so they need adult help.

School psychologists conduct educational activities in this direction. Their work includes prevention deviant behavior, preservation, strengthening and development of students’ psychological health through their acquisition of specific knowledge and skills. However, much also depends on the degree of parental involvement in the process of upbringing, motivation, and the formation of the child’s psycho-emotional state. They must understand that teenage depression not only manifests itself in a bad mood, but can sometimes lead to serious problems: to drug addiction and alcoholism, hatred of oneself and the world around us, early pregnancy, violence and even suicide.

It is important to identify mental problems in children in a timely manner and protect them from undesirable consequences through participation, advice, and, if necessary, seeking qualified help. The following symptoms may indicate the presence of such problems in a teenager: sadness, hopelessness, irritability, anger, hostility, tearfulness, loss of friends, loss of interest in activities, changes in sleep and eating patterns, anxiety, agitation, feelings of worthlessness and guilt, lack of enthusiasm and motivation , fatigue or lack of energy, difficulty concentrating. The presence of these symptoms does not provide 100% evidence of mental illness. The best way to prevent undesirable consequences - constantly monitor the teenager and record the manifestations of symptoms, as well as compare his actions with the behavior of his peers. The line between “diseases of age” and mental disorder is often not obvious to unprepared parents, therefore, only by paying due attention to children and participating in their lives can one identify susceptibility to depression.

You can and should learn to cope with many of the difficulties of adolescence by following some expert advice:

1. Constantly take an interest in your child's affairs. Be for him not a mentor, but a friend who does not force him to do something, but advises him on how best to act.
2. Encourage physical activity while taking your teen's interests into account. Both attending sports classes and walking a bike or taking a dog in the park will be useful.
3. Encourage your teen to be socially active. Observe whether your child spends enough time communicating with friends and peers “live”, and not through social networks, whether he is involved in extracurricular activities, participates in olympiads or competitions. Computer games and aimless surfing on the Internet should be kept to a minimum.
4. From an early age, children should be instilled with a desire for a healthy lifestyle, showing negative attitude to bad habits (smoking, alcohol, drugs), best by example.

The issue of mental health of children and adolescents depends on many factors: upbringing, environment, and the child’s occupation. By consciously controlling these elements of teenage life, responsible parents can effectively promote the normal psychological development of their children.

Positive thinking

Any situation in life can be assessed differently: someone is critical of everything and notices shortcomings even in the most pleasant event, while someone, on the contrary, tries to paint what is happening in cheerful colors and finds positivity in the most difficult situation. The ability to easily and humorously experience all the problems that arise will help you maintain your mental health and protect you from the negative effects of stress and anxiety. You will learn to look for positive moments in any situation, treat what happened as a life lesson, and not as a mistake or bad luck, extract experience and new opportunities from what is happening, and not become discouraged and depressed when obstacles and difficulties arise.

An excellent example of a positive thinking person is the famous philosopher Socrates, who treated any situation with humor. It is known that his wife Xanthippe was a terribly grumpy woman and one day, in a fit of anger, she splashed hot water in Socrates’ face, which left him with a scar. Later, one of the philosopher’s students, knowing about the problems in personal life sage, asked him a question about whether he should get married. The scientist, without thinking for a minute, answered unequivocally: “It’s worth it.” If you are lucky, you will be happy, and if not, you will become a philosopher.”

1. Avoid negative influences. Learn to say “no” to what you don’t like and makes you uncomfortable. Surround yourself with positive people.
2. Look at things from different angles. Learn to extract useful experience from any situation and see bright moments in everything.
3. Smile more often. Remember that even smiling for no reason will definitely lift your spirits.
4. Make time to do what makes you happy and gives you pleasure. Walking, shopping, reading, watching a movie will help maintain a positive mood.
5. Find something that motivates you and lifts your spirits. For example, a good quote that you can print out and put in your wallet, or a favorite song that, listening to it, will help you move through life more cheerfully and easily.
6. Set and achieve them. Start small, gradually switching to larger ones. This will make your life interesting and meaningful.
7. Don't be afraid of failure. As F.D. Roosevelt said: “The only thing to fear is fear itself.”
8. Do not give up. Persistence certainly contributes to achieving positive results.

Of course, it is impossible to collect in one lesson all the principles and techniques for maintaining a healthy mental state of a person, so we advise you to pay attention to the one dedicated to psychology, where you will find a lot of useful and interesting things.

Test your knowledge

If you want to test your knowledge on the topic of this lesson, you can take a short test consisting of several questions. For each question, only 1 option can be correct. After you select one of the options, the system automatically moves on to the next question. The points you receive are affected by the correctness of your answers and the time spent on completion. Please note that the questions are different each time and the options are mixed.

Introduction

1. The problem of a healthy lifestyle in psychology

1.1. The concept of health and its criteria

1.2. The concept of a healthy lifestyle

2. Study of social representations in social psychology

3. Analysis of research results

3.1. Description of the research methodology and organization

3.2. Analysis of the results and their discussion

Conclusion

Literature

Applications

Introduction

The end of the 20th century is characterized, in particular, by an increase in morbidity and mortality of the population against the backdrop of high achievements in medicine and the improvement of technical means for diagnosing and treating diseases. The current stage of development of our society is associated with a demographic crisis, a decrease in life expectancy, a decrease in the mental health of the country's population, which causes concern among many scientists and specialists (6; 9; 12; 31; 32; 38; 42; 48, etc.). But, given the traditional orientation current system healthcare to identify, define and “eliminate” diseases, which has intensified due to the progressive socio-economic destruction of society, it becomes clear that the medicine of today and the foreseeable future will not be able to significantly influence the preservation of human health. This fact justifies the need to find more effective ways and means of maintaining and developing health.

It is known that the level of human health depends on many factors: hereditary, socio-economic, environmental, and the activities of the healthcare system. But, according to WHO, it is only 10-15% associated with the latter factor, 15-20% is due to genetic factors, 25% is determined by environmental conditions, and 50-55% is determined by human conditions and lifestyle. Thus, it is obvious that the primary role in the preservation and formation of health still belongs to the person himself, his lifestyle, his values, attitudes, the degree of harmonization of his inner world and relationships with the environment. At the same time, modern people in most cases shift responsibility for their health to doctors. He is actually indifferent to himself, is not responsible for the strength and health of his body, and at the same time does not try to explore and understand his soul. In reality, a person is not busy taking care of his own health, but treating diseases, which leads to the decline of health that is currently observed against the backdrop of significant advances in medicine. In reality, strengthening and creating health should become the need and responsibility of every person.

It is not justified to see the causes of ill health only in poor nutrition, environmental pollution and lack of proper medical care. Much more important for the global ill-health of mankind is the progress of civilization, which has contributed to the “liberation” of a person from efforts on himself, which led to the destruction of the body’s defenses. The primary task for increasing the level of health should not be the development of medicine, but the conscious, purposeful work of the person himself to restore and develop vital resources, to take responsibility for his own health when a healthy lifestyle becomes a need. “To be healthy is a natural desire of a person,” writes K.V. Dineika, considering the main task facing a person in relation to his health is not the treatment of diseases, but the creation of health (20).

The first step in this direction can be to clarify ideas about a healthy lifestyle in modern society with the aim of further adjusting them, as well as the formation of new ideas and attitudes towards health, a healthy lifestyle and illness. First of all, this is important for younger generation, since his health is public health in 10 - 30 years. Therefore, in our study we studied students’ ideas about a healthy lifestyle. In addition, for fruitful collaboration between representatives of different fields of knowledge towards creating an ideology of public health, it is important to have relevant modern scientific views ideas about a healthy lifestyle among those who are called upon to implement these ideas, in particular among doctors. Based on this, we also chose practicing physicians and medical college students as the object of our research.

As we know, at present there are only a few studies of social ideas about a healthy lifestyle. In addition, even the very concept of “health” is interpreted differently by different authors.

Thus, it is obvious both the theoretical significance of the study devoted to the analysis of such categories as health, healthy lifestyle, and its practical significance for possible further work towards the formation of adequate ideas about a healthy lifestyle and the creation of an attitude towards a creative attitude towards one’s own health.

Hypothesis: Doctors’ idea of ​​a healthy lifestyle is more consistent with modern scientific ideas than that of future doctors and non-medical students.

1. The problem of a healthy lifestyle in psychology

1.1. The concept of health and its criteria

At all times, among all peoples of the world, physical and mental health has been and is an enduring value of man and society. Even in ancient times, it was understood by doctors and philosophers as the main condition for the free activity of man, his perfection.

But despite great value, given to health, the concept of “health” has not had a specific scientific definition for a long time. And currently there are different approaches to its definition. At the same time, most of the authors: philosophers, physicians, psychologists (Yu.A. Aleksandrovsky, 1976; V.H. Vasilenko, 1985; V.P. Kaznacheev, 1975; V.V. Nikolaeva, 1991; V.M. Vorobyov, 1995) regarding this phenomenon, they agree with each other only on one thing, that now there is no single, generally accepted, scientifically based concept of “individual health” (54).

The earliest definition of health is that of Alcmaeon, which has its supporters to this day: “Health is the harmony of oppositely directed forces.” Cicero described health as the correct balance of various mental states. The Stoics and Epicureans valued health above all else, contrasting it with enthusiasm and the desire for everything immoderate and dangerous. The Epicureans believed that health is complete contentment provided that all needs are fully satisfied. According to K. Jaspers, psychiatrists view health as the ability to realize “the natural innate potential of human vocation.” There are other formulations: health - a person’s acquisition of his own self, “realization of the Self,” full and harmonious inclusion in the community of people (12). K. Rogers also perceives a healthy person as mobile, open, and not constantly using defensive reactions, independent of external influences and relying on himself. Optimally actualized, such a person constantly lives in every new moment of life. This person is flexible and adapts well to changing conditions, is tolerant of others, emotional and reflective (46).

F. Perls considers a person as a whole, believing that mental health is associated with the maturity of the individual, manifested in the ability to recognize one’s own needs, constructive behavior, healthy adaptability and the ability to take responsibility for oneself. A mature and healthy personality is authentic, spontaneous and internally free.

S. Freud believed that a psychologically healthy person is one who is able to reconcile the principle of pleasure with the principle of reality. According to C. G. Jung, a person who has assimilated the contents of his unconscious and is free from capture by any archetype can be healthy. From W. Reich’s point of view, neurotic and psychosomatic disorders are interpreted as a consequence of stagnation biological energy. Therefore, a healthy state is characterized by the free flow of energy.

The Constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO) states that health is not only the absence of disease and physical defects, but a state of complete social and spiritual well-being. In the corresponding volume of the 2nd edition of the BME, it is defined as a state of the human body when the functions of all its organs and systems are balanced with the external environment and there are no painful changes. This definition is based on the category of health status, which is assessed according to three criteria: somatic, social and personal (Ivanyushkin, 1982). Somatic - perfection of self-regulation in the body, harmony of physiological processes, maximum adaptation to the environment. Social - a measure of ability to work, social activity, a person’s active attitude to the world. A personal characteristic implies a person’s life strategy, the degree of his dominance over the circumstances of life (32). I.A. Arshavsky emphasizes that the organism throughout its entire development is not in a state of equilibrium or balance with the environment. On the contrary, being a non-equilibrium system, the organism constantly changes the forms of its interaction with environmental conditions throughout its development (10). G.L. Apanasenko points out that considering a person as a bioenergy-information system, characterized by a pyramidal structure of subsystems, which include the body, psyche and spiritual element, the concept of health implies the harmony of this system. Violations at any level affect the stability of the entire system (3). G.A. Kuraev, S.K. Sergeev and Yu.V. Shlenov emphasize that many definitions of health are based on the fact that the human body must resist, adapt, overcome, preserve, expand its capabilities, etc. The authors note that with this understanding of health, a person is viewed as a militant creature located in an aggressive natural and social environment. But the biological environment does not give rise to an organism that is not supported by it, and if this happens, then such an organism is doomed already at the beginning of its development. Researchers propose to define health based on the basic functions of the human body (implementation of the genetic unconditional reflex program, instinctive activity, generative function, congenital and acquired nervous activity). In accordance with this, health can be defined as the ability of interacting body systems to ensure the implementation of genetic programs of unconditioned reflex, instinctive processes, generative functions, mental activity and phenotypic behavior, aimed at the social and cultural spheres of life (32).

For a philosophical consideration of health, it is important to understand that it reflects the necessity arising from the essence of phenomena, and illness is an accident that does not have a universal character. Thus, modern medicine deals primarily with random phenomena- diseases, not health, which is natural and necessary (9).

I.A. Gundarov and V.A. Palessky note: “When defining health, one should take into account the opinion that health and illness do not correlate with each other according to the principle of dichotomy: either there is or not; either a person is healthy or sick. Health appears as a life continuum from 0 to 1, on which it is always present, although different quantities. Even a seriously ill person has a certain amount of health, although it is very little. Absolutely complete disappearance of health is equivalent to death” (10, p. 27).

The vast majority of works emphasize that absolute health is an abstraction. Human health is not only a medical-biological, but primarily a social category, ultimately determined by the nature and nature of social relations, social conditions and factors depending on the method of social production.

N.V. Yakovleva identifies several approaches to determining health, which can be traced in applied research (54). One of them is the “by contradiction” approach, in which health is viewed as the absence of disease. Within the framework of this approach, research is carried out in medical psychology and personality psychology, especially carried out by doctors. Naturally, such a consideration of the “health” phenomenon cannot be exhaustive. Various authors cite the following disadvantages of this understanding of health: 1) in considering health as a non-disease, there is initially a logical error, since the definition of the concept through negation cannot be considered complete; 2) this approach is subjective, since it sees health as the denial of all known diseases, but at the same time all unknown diseases remain behind; 3) such a definition is descriptive and mechanistic in nature, which does not allow revealing the essence of the phenomenon of individual health, its features and dynamics (32; 54). Yu. P. Lisitsyn notes: “We can conclude that health is more than the absence of illnesses and injuries, it is the opportunity to fully work, relax, in a word, perform the functions inherent in a person, live freely, joyfully” (32; p. 13) .

The second approach is characterized by N.V. Yakovleva as a complex analytical one. In this case, when studying health by counting correlations individual factors influencing health are identified. Then the frequency of occurrence is analyzed this factor V living environment a specific person and on the basis of this a conclusion is made about his health. The author points out the following disadvantages of this approach: the possibility that a specific factor is insufficient to make a conclusion about human health; the absence of a single abstract standard of health as the sum of a set of factors; lack of uniform quantitative expression a separate feature characterizing human health.

As an alternative to previous approaches to the study of health problems, a systematic approach is considered, the principles of which are: refusal to define health as a non-disease; highlighting systemic rather than isolated health criteria (gestalt criteria of the human health system); mandatory study of the dynamics of the system, identification of the zone of proximal development, showing how plastic the system is under various influences, i.e. how possible is its self-correction or correction; moving from identifying specific types to individual modeling (54).

A.Ya. Ivanyushkin offers 3 levels to describe the value of health: 1) biological - initial health presupposes the perfection of self-regulation of the body, the harmony of physiological processes and, as a consequence, a minimum of adaptation; 2) social - health is a measure of social activity, a person’s active attitude to the world; 3) personal, psychological - health is not the absence of illness, but rather its denial, in the sense of overcoming it. Health in this case acts not only as a state of the body, but as a “strategy of human life” (27).

I. Illich notes that “health determines the process of adaptation: ... creates the opportunity to adapt to a changing external environment, to growth and aging, to treatment for disorders, suffering and peaceful anticipation of death” (9, p. 26). Health as the ability to adapt to environmental conditions, which is the result of interaction with the environment, is considered by R. M. Baevsky and A. P. Berseneva (5). In general, it has become a tradition in Russian literature to connect the state of health, illness and transitional states between them with the level of adaptation. L. Kh. Garkavi and E. B. Kvakina consider health, pre-nosological conditions and transitional states between them from the perspective of the theory of nonspecific adaptive reactions. The state of health in this case is characterized by harmonious anti-stress reactions of calm and increased activation (16).

I. I. Brekhman emphasizes that health is not the absence of disease, but the physical, social and psychological harmony of a person, friendly relationships with other people, with nature and with oneself (8). He writes that “human health is the ability to maintain age-appropriate stability in conditions sudden changes quantitative and qualitative parameters of the triune source of sensory, verbal and structural information” (9, p. 27).

The understanding of health as a state of equilibrium, a balance between a person’s adaptive capabilities (health potential) and constantly changing environmental conditions was proposed by academician V. P. Petlenko (1997).

One of the founders of valeology, T.F. Akbashev, calls health a characteristic of a person’s supply of vitality, which is set by nature and is realized or not realized by a person (1).

When defining the concept of “health,” the question of its norm often arises. At the same time, the very concept of norm is debatable. Thus, in the article “norm”, published in the second edition of the BME, this phenomenon is considered as symbol balance of the human body, its individual organs and functions in conditions external environment. Then health is defined as the balance of the organism and its environment, and disease is defined as an imbalance with the environment. But, as I. I. Brekhman notes, the organism is never in a state of equilibrium with the environment, since otherwise development would cease, and therefore the possibility of further life. V.P. Petlenko, criticizing this definition of the norm, proposes to understand it as the biological optimum of a living system, i.e. the interval of its optimal functioning, which has moving boundaries, within which the optimal connection with the environment and the consistency of all functions of the body are maintained. And then functioning within the optimal range should be considered normal, which will be considered as the health of the body (9). According to V.M. Dilman, it is in principle impossible to talk about the health of the body and its normality, because individual development is a pathology, a deviation from the norm, which can only be attributed to the age of 20-25, characterized by the minimum frequency of major human diseases (19). I. I. Brekhman, considering the problem of health as one of the global problems of humanity, points out the illegality of such an approach. He notes that the concept of normal remains abstract because it means a condition that precedes a disease, and it may not be the same in different people. When defining health, the author moves away from the relative and contradictory category of norm towards understanding health from the standpoint of quality. He says that the health problem, like all global problems, arises in crisis situation. According to A. Peccei, “... the sources of this crisis lie within, and not outside, the human being, considered as an individual and as a collective. And the solution to all these problems must come, first of all, from changes in the person himself, his inner essence (9, p. 23).

P. L. Kapitsa closely connects health with the “quality” of people in a given society, which can be judged by life expectancy, reduction in diseases, crime and drug addiction (9).

N. M. Amosov drew attention to the fact that the health of the body is determined by its quantity, which can be assessed by the maximum productivity of organs while maintaining the qualitative limits of their functions (2). But maximum performance can be achieved through high energy expenditure and endurance work, i.e. through overcoming fatigue and can have negative consequences for the body. In addition, appropriate criteria have not yet been developed to judge the qualitative limits of the functioning of various organs and their systems. Thus, this definition requires clarification (9). A similar approach to understanding health is proposed by M. E. Teleshevskaya and N. I. Pogibko, who consider this phenomenon as the ability of the human body to refract the entire set of natural and social factors that make up the human living conditions, without disturbing the harmony of physiological mechanisms and systems that ensure normal functioning person (51). N.D. Lakosina and G.K. Ushakov define health as the structural and functional preservation of human organs and systems, high individual adaptability of the body to the physical and social environment, and as the preservation of usual well-being (51).

V.P. Kaznacheev points out that the health of an individual “can be defined as a dynamic state (process) of the preservation and development of biological, physiological and psychological functions, optimal working capacity and social activity with maximum life expectancy” (30, p. 9), as “ valeological process of formation of the organism and personality” (29). In his opinion, this definition takes into account the fullness of the fulfillment of the basic socio-biological functions and life goals of the individual. Along with the health of an individual, V.P. Kaznacheev proposes to consider the health of the population, which he understands “as a process of socio-historical development of vitality - biological and psychosocial - of the population in a number of generations, increasing working capacity and productivity of collective labor, growing ecological dominance, improving the species Homo sapiens” (30, p. 86). The health criteria of the human population, in addition to the individual properties of the people composing it, include the birth rate, the health of the offspring, genetic diversity, adaptability of the population to climatic and geographical conditions, readiness to perform diverse social roles, age structure, etc.

I. I. Brekhman, speaking about the problem of health, notes that it very often occupies in the hierarchy of human values ​​far from the first place, which is given to the material benefits of life, career, success, etc. (9). V.P. Kaznacheev considers the possible hierarchy of needs (goals) in animals and humans, pointing out that for humans, in the first place is “... performing social and labor activities with a maximum active life expectancy. Preservation of genetic material. Reproduction of full-fledged offspring. Ensuring the preservation and development of the health of this and future generations (30, p. 153). Thus, the author emphasizes that health should take first place in the hierarchy of human needs.

So, health is considered as an integrative characteristic of a person, covering both his inner world and all the uniqueness of relationships with the environment and including physical, mental, social and spiritual aspects; as a state of equilibrium, balance between human adaptive capabilities and constantly changing environmental conditions. Moreover, it should not be considered as an end in itself; it is only a means for the fullest realization of a person’s life potential.

Observations and experiments have long allowed doctors and researchers to divide the factors influencing human health into biological and social. This division has received philosophical support in the understanding of man as a biosocial being. Doctors primarily consider social factors to include living conditions, level of material support and education, family composition, etc. Among biological factors distinguish the age of the mother when the child was born, the age of the father, the characteristics of pregnancy and childbirth, and the physical characteristics of the child at birth. Psychological factors are also considered as a result of biological and social factors (24). Yu.P. Lisitsyn, considering health risk factors, points to bad habits (smoking, alcohol consumption, poor nutrition), environmental pollution, as well as “psychological pollution” (strong emotional experiences, distress) and genetic factors (34). For example, it has been found that prolonged distress suppresses the immune system, making them more vulnerable to infections and malignant tumors; In addition, when people are stressed, reactive people who get angry easily release large amounts of stress hormones into the blood, which are believed to accelerate the formation of plaque on the walls of the coronary arteries (39).

G. A. Apanasenko proposes to distinguish between several groups of health factors that respectively determine its reproduction, formation, functioning, consumption and restoration, and also characterize health as a process and as a state. Thus, factors (indicators) of health reproduction include: the state of the gene pool, the state of the reproductive function of parents, its implementation, the health of parents, the presence of legal acts protecting the gene pool and pregnant women, etc. The author considers lifestyle factors, which include the level of production and labor productivity; the degree of satisfaction of material and cultural needs; general educational and cultural levels; features of nutrition, physical activity, interpersonal relationships; bad habits, etc., as well as the state of the environment. The author considers the culture and nature of production, the social activity of the individual, the state of the moral environment, etc. as factors in health consumption. Recreation, treatment, and rehabilitation serve to restore health (4).

As I. I. Brekhman notes, in the conditions of the modern scientific and technological revolution, a large number of reasons lead to a certain disorganization of natural foundations effective living personality, a crisis of emotionality, the main manifestations of which are emotional disharmony, alienation and immaturity of feelings, leading to deterioration of health and illness. The author states that a person’s attitude towards a long healthy life is of great importance for health. To maintain and improve health, a person should, even more than to get rid of diseases, adopt a new attitude towards his life and work (9).

As already noted, culture can be considered as one of the health factors. According to V.S. Semenov, culture expresses the measure of a person’s awareness and mastery of his relationships to himself, to society, nature, as well as the degree and level of self-regulation of his essential potentials (47). If our ancestors were largely defenseless against various diseases due to their ignorance, and this state of affairs was partly saved only by various taboos, then modern man knows disproportionately more than his predecessors about nature, his own body, diseases, health risk factors, and lives in much better conditions. conditions. But despite this, the morbidity rate is quite high, and quite often people suffer from diseases for the prevention of which it is enough to lead a certain lifestyle. I. I. Brekhman explains this situation by the fact that “very often people do not know what they are able to do with themselves, what huge reserves of physical and mental health they have, whether they can preserve and use them, up to increasing the duration of an active and happy life ”(9, p. 50). The author points out that despite general literacy, people simply do not know a lot, and if they do know, they do not follow the rules of a healthy life. He writes: “For health you need knowledge that would become being” (9, p. 50).

V. Soloukhin considers the problem of the connection between culture and health as follows: cultured person cannot afford to be sick; therefore, the high level of morbidity among the population (especially such chronic diseases as atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, diabetes, etc.), the increase in the number of overweight people, as well as smokers and alcohol drinkers, is an indicator of the low level of their culture (9).

O. S. Vasilyeva, paying attention to the presence of a number of components of health, in particular, such as physical, mental, social and spiritual health, considers the factors that have a predominant influence on each of them. Thus, the main factors influencing physical health include: the nutritional system, breathing, physical activity, hardening, hygiene procedures. Mental health is primarily affected by a person’s system of relationships to himself, other people, and life in general; his life goals and values, personal characteristics. The social health of an individual depends on the consistency of personal and professional self-determination, satisfaction with family and social status, the flexibility of life strategies and their compliance with the sociocultural situation (economic, social and psychological conditions). And finally, spiritual health, which is the purpose of life, is influenced by high morality, meaningfulness and fulfillment of life, creative relationships and harmony with oneself and the world around us, Love and Faith. At the same time, the author emphasizes that considering these factors as separately influencing each component of health is quite conditional, since they are all closely interconnected (12).

So, as already noted, human health depends on many factors: hereditary, socio-economic, environmental, and the activities of the healthcare system. But special place Among them is the way of life of a person. The next part of this work is devoted to a more detailed consideration of the importance of lifestyle for health.

1.2. The concept of a healthy lifestyle

Human health is more than 50%, according to different sources depends on his lifestyle (13; 32; 52). D. U. Nistryan writes: “According to some researchers, human health depends 60% on his lifestyle, 20% on the environment and only 8% on medicine” (40, p. 40). According to WHO, human health is 50-55% determined by conditions and lifestyle, 25% by environmental conditions, 15-20% by genetic factors, and only 10-15% by the activities of the health care system (6).

There are different approaches to defining the concept of “lifestyle”.

Thus, a number of authors believe that lifestyle is a biosocial category that determines the type of life activity in the spiritual and material spheres of human life (32; 43; 49). According to Yu. P. Lisitsyn, “a way of life is a certain, historically determined type, type of life activity or a certain way of activity in the material and non-material (spiritual) spheres of people’s life” (32, p. 6). In this case, lifestyle is understood as a category that reflects the most general and typical ways of material and spiritual life of people, taken in unity with natural and social conditions.

In another approach, the concept of lifestyle is considered as an integral way of being of an individual in the external and internal world (21), as “a system of relationships between a person and himself and factors of the external environment,” where the system of relationships between a person and himself is a complex complex of actions and experiences, the presence of useful habits that strengthen the natural resource of health, the absence of harmful ones that destroy it (50).

Most Western researchers define lifestyle as “a broad category that includes individual forms of behavior, activity and the realization of one’s capabilities in work, everyday life and cultural customs characteristic of a particular socio-economic structure” (23; p. 39).

A. M. Izutkin and G. Ts. Tsaregorodtsev present the structure of a lifestyle in the form of the following elements: “1) transformative activity aimed at changing nature, society and the person himself; 2) ways to satisfy material and spiritual needs; 3) forms of people’s participation in social and political activities and in government; 4) cognitive activity at the level of theoretical, empirical and value-oriented knowledge; 5) communication activity, including communication between people in society and its subsystems (people, class, family, etc.); 6) medical and pedagogical activities aimed at the physical and spiritual development of a person” (28, p. 20). Yu. P. Lisitsyn, N. V. Polunina, E. N. Savelyeva and others propose such components (aspects) of lifestyle as industrial, socio-political, non-work, and medical activity (32; 34). Other authors include in the concept of lifestyle a person’s work activity, social, psycho-intellectual, physical activity, communication and everyday relationships (52), habits, routine, rhythm, pace of life, features of work, rest and communication (11).

Yu. P. Lisitsyn, based on the classification of lifestyle of I.V. Bestuzhev-Lada and other domestic sociologists and philosophers, distinguishes four categories in the way of life: “... economic - “standard of living”, sociological - “quality of life”, socio-psychological - “lifestyle” and socio-economic - “way of life” life” (32, p. 9). The standard of living or level of well-being characterizes the size, as well as the structure of material and spiritual needs, thus the quantitative, measurable side of living conditions. Lifestyle means order public life, life, culture, within the framework of which people’s life activities take place. Lifestyle refers to individual characteristics of behavior as one of the manifestations of life activity. The quality of life is an assessment of the qualitative side of living conditions; this is an indicator of the level of comfort, satisfaction with work, communication, etc. According to Yu. P. Lisitsyn, human health largely depends on the style and way of life.

Since ancient times, even before the emergence of professional medicine, people have noticed the impact on health of the nature of work, habits, customs, as well as beliefs, thoughts, and experiences. Famous doctors different countries paid attention to the peculiarities of work and life of their patients, linking the occurrence of ailments with this.

If we turn to the historical aspect of the emergence of ideas about a healthy lifestyle, then for the first time they begin to take shape in the East. Already in ancient india 6th century BC The Vedas formulate the basic principles of leading a healthy lifestyle. One of them is achieving a stable mental balance. The first and indispensable condition for achieving this balance was complete internal freedom, the absence of a person’s rigid dependence on physical and psychological factors of the environment. Another path leading to the establishment of internal balance was considered the path of the heart, the path of love. In bhakti yoga, love that gives freedom was not understood as love for to an individual, to a group of people, and love for all living things in this world as the highest expression of the essence of being. The third way to achieve inner freedom - the path of reason, reason - was proposed by Jana Yoga, which claims that none of the yogas should give up knowledge, because it increases vital stability.

Eastern philosophy has always placed emphasis on the unity of the mental and physical in man. Thus, Chinese thinkers believed that disharmony in the body arises as a result of mental disharmony. They identified five painful moods: anger and hot temper, “cloudedness” with emotions, concern and despondency, sadness and sadness, fear and anxiety. The tendency to such moods, they believed, disrupts and paralyzes the energy of both individual organs and the entire organism as a whole, shortening a person’s life. Joy gives harmonious elasticity to the body’s energy flows and prolongs life (13).

IN Tibetan medicine in the famous treatise “Zhud-shi” ignorance was considered the common cause of all diseases. Ignorance gives rise to a sick lifestyle, eternal dissatisfaction, leads to painful, pessimistic experiences, harmful passions, unfair anger, disapproval towards people. Moderation in everything, naturalness and overcoming ignorance are the main ones that determine the physical and mental well-being of a person (15).

Eastern philosophy is based on an understanding of man as a whole, inextricably linked with his immediate environment, nature, space, and is focused on maintaining health and identifying the enormous capabilities of man to resist illnesses.

Ideas about a healthy lifestyle are also found in ancient philosophy. Thinkers of the ancient period tried to identify specific elements in this phenomenon. For example, Hippocrates in his treatise “On a Healthy Lifestyle” considers this phenomenon as a kind of harmony, which should be strived for by observing a number of preventive measures. He focuses mainly on the physical health of a person. Democritus in to a greater extent describes spiritual health, which is a “good state of mind” in which the soul is calm and balanced, not disturbed by any passions, fears or other experiences.

The ancient world had its own traditions of leading a healthy lifestyle. Good health was the main criterion for ensuring the intellectual development of the younger generation. Thus, young men who were physically poorly developed did not have the right to higher education. In Ancient Greece, the cult of the body was raised within the framework of state laws, and there was a strict system of physical education.

During this period, the first concepts of a healthy lifestyle appear: “know yourself,” “take care of yourself.” According to the latter concept, each person must have a certain course of action, carried out in relation to himself and including caring for himself, changing, transforming himself. The peculiarity of the ancient period is that the physical component of a healthy lifestyle came to the fore, pushing the spiritual into the background. In Eastern philosophy, the inextricable connection between the spiritual and physical state of a person is clearly visible. Health here is considered as “a necessary stage of perfection and highest value" (18). The principles of Eastern medicine are based on the attitude towards a person as an individual. It is expressed in the forms of dialogue between the doctor and the patient from the angles in which he sees himself, because no one except the person himself can change his lifestyle, habits, attitude towards life and illness. This approach is based on the fact that many diseases are functional in nature and their symptoms are signals of serious emotional and social problems. But in any case, a person acts as an active participant in maintaining and acquiring health. Therefore, the foundations of Eastern medicine especially emphasize that the health problem cannot be solved only by advanced technical means of diagnosis and treatment. It should be approached with an individual approach to health that includes awareness of oneself and one's lifestyle (13). This aspect has been largely lost in modern medicine, which considers illness as a violation of the well-being of a person’s physical condition, the presence of specific, local abnormalities in organs and tissues, and the patient as a passive person receiving certain instructions in the development of which he did not participate (37).

In Western and Russian science, the problem of a healthy lifestyle was addressed by such doctors and thinkers as F. Bacon, B. Spinoza, H. De Roy, J. La Mettrie, P. J. Cabanis, M. Lomonosov, A. Radishchev (17).

The 20th century gave humanity a lot: electricity, television, modern transport. But at the same time, the end of the century is characterized by a deep discrepancy between the natural, social and spiritual foundations of man and the environment of his life (26). Significant changes have occurred in human consciousness: if previously he was both a producer and a consumer of various goods, now these functions have been separated, which is reflected in the attitude of our contemporary to his health. In former times, a person, “consuming” his health in hard physical labor and in the fight against the forces of nature, was well aware that he himself must take care of its restoration. Now people think that health is as constant as electricity and water supply, that it will always be there (9). I.I. Brekhman notes: “The achievements of the scientific and technological revolution themselves will not reduce the gap between a person’s adaptive capabilities and changes in the natural and social-production environment of his habitat. The greater the automation of production and conditioning of the living environment, the less trained the body’s defenses will be. Having given birth to its production activities environmental problem, concerned about the preservation of nature on a planetary scale, man has forgotten that he is part of nature, and directs his efforts mainly to preserving and improving the environment” (9, p. 48). Thus, humanity is faced with the task not to engage in utopian plans to protect people from all possible pathogenic influences, but to ensure their health in real-life conditions.

To maintain and restore health, it is not enough to passively wait for the nature of the body to do its job sooner or later. A person himself needs to do some work in this direction. But, unfortunately, most people realize the value of health only when a serious threat to health arises or it is largely lost, as a result of which the motivation arises to cure the disease and restore health. But positive motivation for improving health among healthy people is clearly not enough. I. I. Brekhman identifies two possible reasons for this: a person is not aware of his health, does not know the size of his reserves, and puts off taking care of it until later, for retirement or in case of illness (9). At the same time, a healthy person can and should focus his lifestyle on the positive experiences of the older generation and the negative experiences of sick people. However, this approach does not work for everyone and is not strong enough. Many people, by their image and behavior, not only contribute to health, but destroy it.

Yu. P. Lisitsyn notes that a healthy lifestyle is not just everything that has a beneficial effect on people’s health. In this case, we are talking about all the components of different types of activities aimed at protecting and improving health (33). The author points out that the concept of a healthy lifestyle is not limited to individual forms of medical and social activity (eradicating bad habits, following hygienic norms and rules, health education, seeking treatment or advice from medical institutions, observing work, rest, nutrition and many others, although they all reflect certain aspects of a healthy lifestyle (32). “A healthy... lifestyle is, first of all, the activity of an individual, a group of people, a society, using material and spiritual conditions and opportunities in the interests of health, harmonious physical and spiritual development of a person” (32, p. 35). Yu. P. Lisitsyn and I. V. Polunina also highlight a number of criteria for a healthy lifestyle, which include, for example, a harmonious combination of biological and social in a person, hygienic justification for forms of behavior, nonspecific and active ways of adapting the human body and psyche to unfavorable conditions of nature and the social environment (34). B. N. Chumakov notes that a healthy lifestyle includes typical forms and methods of people’s daily life activities, which strengthen and improve the body’s reserve capabilities (52). At the same time, the concept of a healthy lifestyle is much broader than a work and rest regime, a nutritional system, various hardening and developmental exercises; it also includes a system of relationships to oneself, to another person, to life in general, as well as the meaningfulness of being, life goals and values ​​(12).

IN practical activities When determining individual criteria and goals for a healthy lifestyle, there are two alternative approach. The goal of the traditional approach is to achieve the same behavior by everyone, which is considered correct: stopping smoking and drinking alcohol, increasing physical activity, limiting dietary intake of saturated fats and table salt, maintaining body weight within the recommended limits. The effectiveness of promoting a healthy lifestyle and mass health promotion is assessed by the number of people adhering to the recommended behavior. But, as practice shows, the incidence of disease inevitably turns out to be different with the same behavior of people with different geno- and phenotypes. The obvious disadvantage of this approach is that it may lead to equality of behavior among people, but not to equality of ultimate health.

Another approach has completely different guidelines, and a style of behavior that leads a person to the desired duration and required quality of life is considered healthy. Given that all people are different, they need to behave differently throughout their lives. I. A. Gundarov and V. A. Palessky state: “A healthy lifestyle, in principle, cannot and should not be identical. Any behavior should be assessed as healthy if it leads to the achievement of the desired health outcome” (10, p. 26). With this approach, the criterion for the effectiveness of creating a healthy lifestyle is not behavior, but a real increase in the amount of health. Therefore, if a person's health does not improve despite seemingly reasonable, cultural, socially beneficial behavior, it cannot be considered healthy (10). To assess the amount of health in this approach, a technique has been developed that gives a person the opportunity, taking into account the health index and his position on the health scale, to decide for himself what behavior is considered healthy. So, within this approach, a healthy lifestyle is determined based on individual criteria, personal choice the most preferred health measures and monitoring their effectiveness. Therefore, for persons with big amount health, any lifestyle that is normal for them will be completely healthy.

In valeopsychology, that is, health psychology, developing at the intersection of valeology and psychology, it is assumed that purposeful, consistent work is aimed at returning a person to himself, a person’s mastery of his body, soul, spirit, mind, the development of an “internal observer” (the ability to hear, see, feel myself). To understand and accept yourself you need to “touch” and pay attention to your inner world.

By getting to know ourselves, listening to ourselves, we are already on the path to creating health. This requires awareness of personal responsibility for life and, in particular, for health. For thousands of years, man put his body in the hands of doctors, and gradually it ceased to be the subject of his personal care. Man has ceased to be responsible for the strength and health of his body and soul. As a result of this, “the soul of man is in darkness.” AND the only way liberation of consciousness from illusions and imposed patterns of life is our own experience.

Every person needs to believe that he has all the capabilities to strengthen his own life potential and increase resistance to various pathogenic and stressful factors. As V.I. Belov writes, referring primarily to physical health, one can “achieve superhealth and longevity regardless of what stage of illness or pre-illness a person is in” (7, p. 6). The author also provides methods and techniques for increasing the level of mental health at the disposal of everyone who is ready to become the creator of their own health (7). J. Rainwater, emphasizing a person’s responsibility for their own health and great opportunities each in the formation of the latter, points out: “What kind of health each of us has depends largely on our behavior in the past - on how we breathed and moved, how we ate, what thoughts and attitudes we preferred. Today, now we determine our health in the future. We are responsible for it ourselves!” (45; p. 172). A person should reorient himself from treating diseases, i.e. “pulling out weeds”, taking care of your health; understand that the cause of ill health is primarily not in poor nutrition, uncomfortable life, environmental pollution, lack of proper medical care, but in a person’s indifference to himself, in the liberation thanks to civilization of a person from efforts on himself, which resulted in the destruction of the body’s defenses. Thus, increasing the level of health is associated not with the development of medicine, but with the conscious, intelligent work of the person himself to restore and develop life resources, to transform a healthy lifestyle into a fundamental component of the self-image. To improve and develop health, it is important to learn to be healthy and to be creative to one’s own health, to develop the need, ability and determination to create health with one’s own hands using one’s own internal reserves, and not other people’s efforts and external conditions. “Nature has endowed humans with perfect life support and control systems, which are clearly established mechanisms that regulate the activity of various organs, tissues and cells at various levels in the close interaction of the central nervous and endocrine systems. The functioning of the body according to the principle of a self-regulating system, taking into account the state of external and internal environment makes it possible to carry out gradual training, as well as training and education of various organs and systems in order to increase its reserve capabilities”(25; p.26). As E. Charlton notes, previously it was believed that information about the health consequences of a certain style of behavior would be enough to form an appropriate attitude towards it and change in the desired direction. He emphasizes that this approach did not take into account many of the social and psychological factors involved in decision making, as well as the availability of decision-making skills. The author sees the possibility of changing lifestyle and attitude towards one's health in demonstrating the immediate consequences of unwanted behavior (51). As a number of authors note, in the formation of a healthy lifestyle and maintaining the health of an individual, creativity is of great importance, permeating all life processes and having a beneficial effect on them (11; 31; 14). Thus, F.V. Vasilyuk argues that only the values ​​of creativity have the ability to turn potential destructive events into points spiritual growth and increasing health (14). V. A. Lishchuk believes that the development of a person’s spiritual world and his creative abilities contribute to changing lifestyles, maintaining and increasing health (35).

So, health largely depends on lifestyle, however, when talking about a healthy lifestyle, we primarily mean the absence of bad habits. This is, of course, a necessary, but not at all sufficient condition. The main thing in a healthy lifestyle is the active creation of health, including all its components. Thus, the concept of a healthy lifestyle is much broader than the absence of bad habits, a work and rest schedule, a nutritional system, and various hardening and developmental exercises; it also includes a system of relationships to oneself, to another person, to life in general, as well as the meaningfulness of being, life goals and values, etc. (12). Consequently, to create health, it is necessary both to expand ideas about health and disease, and to skillfully use the entire range of factors influencing various components of health (physical, mental, social and spiritual), mastery of health-improving, restorative, nature-conforming methods and technologies, and the formation of an attitude towards healthy lifestyle.

Based on the above, we can conclude that the concept of a healthy lifestyle is multifaceted and not yet sufficiently developed. At the same time, at the level of ordinary consciousness, ideas about a healthy lifestyle have existed for many centuries. This work is devoted to the study of modern social ideas about a healthy lifestyle. But first I would like to dwell a little on the very concept of “social ideas” and the history of their study.

1.3. Study of social representations in psychology

In the 60-70s. In the 20th century, as a reaction to the dominance in modern science of American models of socio-psychological knowledge of a scientistic bent, the concept of social ideas arose in French social psychology, which was developed by S. Moscovici with the participation of J. Abrik, J. Kodol, V. Doise, K. Herzlish, D. Jodale, M. Plona, ​​etc.

The key concept of the concept is the concept of social representation, borrowed from the sociological doctrine of E. Durkheim. One of the established definitions of the concept of “social representation” is the interpretation of this phenomenon as a specific form of cognition, common sense knowledge, the content, functions and reproduction of which are socially determined. According to S. Moscovici, social representations are a generalizing symbol, a system of interpretation, and classification of phenomena. It is common sense, everyday knowledge, folk-science (popular science), according to S. Moscovici, that opens access to the recording of social ideas (39). R. Harré believes that social ideas are a version of theories that are part of the beliefs and practices shared by individuals. Thus, we can say that these theories (social ideas) are organized around one theme, have a scheme of classification, description, explanation and action. In addition, as A.V. Ovrutsky notes, it can be assumed that these theories contain a series of examples intended to illustrate them, values, behavior patterns corresponding to them, as well as clichés that serve to recall this theory, recognize its origins and differentiate from others (41).

S. Moscovici points out that social (everyday) ideas draw their content largely from scientific ideas, and this process is not necessarily associated with the deformation and distortion of the latter. On the other hand, social ideas have a significant merger with scientific ideas, being a kind of problem field for scientific research (39).

In the structure of social ideas, it is customary to distinguish 3 important dimensions (structural components): information, field of ideas and attitude.

Information (a certain level of awareness) is understood as the amount of knowledge about the object of research. On the other hand, information is considered as necessary condition their formation (22). Followers of the concept of social representations believe that people experience nature and social worlds through sensory experience. Important position This conclusion is that all knowledge, beliefs and any other cognitive constructs have their origins only in the interaction of people and are not formed in any other way.

The field of representations is the original category of this concept and is defined as a more or less pronounced richness of content. This is a hierarchized unity of elements, where there are figurative and semantic properties of representations. The contents of the views field are specific to certain social groups. S. Moscovici believes that social ideas are a kind of calling card of a social group (40).

Attitude is defined as the attitude of the subject to the object of representation. It is believed that the attitude is primary, since it can exist with insufficient information and unclearness of the field of ideas (41).

Great importance in the concept of social representations is given to highlighting the social functions of the latter. The most important function is that they serve as an instrument of cognition. According to the logic of representatives of this theory, social representations first describe, then classify and, finally, explain the objects of representations. On the other hand, it is emphasized that social representations are not only a grid with the help of which people process this or that information, but are a filter that partially and selectively transforms information from the outside world (39). S. Moscovici says that it is social ideas that subordinate the mental apparatus to external influences, encourage people to form habits or, conversely, not to perceive events in the outside world. In other words, a person sees the world not as he really is, but “through the prism of his own desires, interests and ideas” (22).

Second important function social representations is a function of mediating behavior. Social ideas crystallize into specific social structures(clans, churches, social movements, family, clubs, etc.) and have a coercive influence that extends to all members of a given community. This function is manifested both in externally observable behavior and in emotional manifestations. Thus, R. Harré, having studied the manifestation of emotions in different cultures, revealed that the appearance of certain emotions and their dynamic parameters depend on the social ideas that exist in certain cultures. In other words, social ideas are interpreted as an independent variable that determines the entire diversity of human behavior.

The third function of social representations is adaptive, acting in two ways: firstly, social representations adapt new social facts, phenomena of scientific and political life to already formed and previously existing views, opinions and assessments; secondly, they perform the function of adaptation of the individual in society. R. Harré points out that people, by their behavior, constantly convey their own knowledge and skills in reading the social context, social semantics, which is necessary for a person’s adaptation in a particular social community. Thus, social representations are a kind of key to socialization (41).

The focus of the founders of the concept of social representations is the problem of the dynamics of social representations. In particular, several dynamic trends stand out. First of all, changes and transformations take place between common sense ideas and scientific ideas. Thus, S. Moscovici writes that scientific ideas daily and spontaneously become ideas of common sense, and the latter turn into scientific ones (39).

The undoubted merit of this concept is that it initiated numerous socio-psychological studies on topics relevant to modern society, as well as topics that are not traditional for classical social psychology. Among these topics are the following: the transformation of cultural inconsistencies (the problem of adaptation and adaptation of emigrants), the problem of the development of the middle class, the analysis of life history (analysis of autobiographies), ideas about leisure and the problem of its organization, children's social competence, the problem ecological consciousness and the study of social ideas related to ecology, the study of socio-psychological components of ideologies and propaganda, the analysis of social ideas about democracy in everyday and reflective thinking (41). In addition, systems of ideas about psychoanalysis (S. Moscovici), about the city (St. Milgram), about women and childhood (M.-J. Chombard de Love), about the human body (D. Jodelet), about health and illness were studied (K. Herzlish) and others (44).

Within the framework of the concept of social representations, the following directions of analysis of social representations have developed: 1) at the level of an individual picture of the world, social representation is considered as a phenomenon that resolves the tension between familiar and new content, adapts the latter to existing systems of representations using the so-called “fixation models” and transforms unusual into banal; 2) at the level of a small group, social representation appears in the concept of social representations as a phenomenon of reflexive activity in intra-group interaction (thus, the existence of a hierarchical system of ideas about the elements of the interaction situation is shown, as well as the effect of “over-conformity of the Self”, expressed in the subject’s construction of an idea of ​​himself as a person more appropriate to the requirements of the situation than other people; 3) in terms of intergroup relations, social representation is understood as an element of reflexive relations between groups, determined, on the one hand, by general social factors, and on the other, by specific situational features of interaction; 4) at the level of large social groups, an approach to the study of elements of everyday consciousness has been created (41, 44).

2. Analysis of research results

2.1. Description of the research methodology and organization

To study ideas about a healthy lifestyle, we developed a questionnaire consisting of 2 parts (Appendix 1).

The first part includes 6 questions, 3 of which are open-ended and represent unfinished sentences, and in the other three points the subject must choose one of the proposed answers and justify his choice.

Content analysis was used to process the first part of the questionnaire.

The second part of the questionnaire consists of two points. The first point is a shortened version of M. Rokeach’s method of value orientations. The subject is offered a list of 15 terminal values ​​that must be ranked according to their significance for the subject. The second paragraph indicates the components of a healthy lifestyle, which also need to be ranked in order of importance for a healthy lifestyle.

During processing, the average rank indicators were determined separately for each group of subjects.

To analyze unconscious ideas about a healthy lifestyle, subjects were also asked to make a drawing reflecting their ideas about a healthy lifestyle. Participants in the experiment received the following instructions: “Please draw what you imagine when you hear the expression “healthy lifestyle.”

When analyzing the pictures, such aspects of a healthy lifestyle were highlighted as playing sports, no smoking habit, communication with nature, no addiction to alcohol, proper nutrition, no drug habit, friendly relations with other people, family, love, optimistic attitude towards life, the absence of promiscuity, self-development, peace on Earth and the functioning of the health care system.

The experiment involved 20 girls - 2nd year students of the Basic Medical College aged 18 to 20 years, 35 2nd year students of the Faculty of Law of the Donetsk branch of the Rostov Institute of Management, Business and Law (17 girls and 18 boys) aged 18 to 20 years and 20 doctors of Hospital No. 20 (17 women and 3 men) aged from 22 to 53 years.

The results obtained in the study are presented in the following sections.

2.2. Research results and discussion

Table 2.1

Table of ranks of value orientations on samples of practicing physicians, medical college students, and law students

As Table 2.1 shows, for all groups of subjects, health ranks 1st in the system of value orientations. At the same time, an analysis of the results of the questionnaire allows us to conclude that despite the fact that the rank of health in all groups is the same, the number of people who give priority to health among other values ​​is different, which gives grounds to judge the differences in attitudes towards their own health among subjects. Thus, 55% of medical college students, 53% of female lawyers and 45% of doctors give the first place among values ​​to health, while among law students only 33.3% of such persons (i.e., only every third person considers health the greatest value in life).

Thus, we can talk about the absence of influence of medical education on the importance of health for a person. Rather, it can be concluded that women generally place greater importance on health than men.

When analyzing the open-ended questions of the questionnaire, a number of components of a healthy lifestyle were identified that characterize this phenomenon from the point of view of the subjects.

Thus, the subjects pointed to such aspects of a healthy lifestyle as playing sports, not being addicted to drugs, living a meaningful life, communicating with nature, positive attitude to yourself, harmonious relationships in the family, a feeling of happiness, no addiction to alcohol, moderate alcohol consumption, proper nutrition, spiritual life, harmony with oneself, no smoking habit, self-development, no promiscuous sex life, hardening, hygiene, optimistic attitude towards life, activities for the benefit of society , daily regime. Some subjects also included material and physical well-being and the health of others here, considering them as health factors.

Distribution of these answers different groups subjects are presented in table 2.2.

Table 2.2

Components of a healthy lifestyle

As Table 2.2 shows, for doctors, the components of a healthy lifestyle form the following sequence: 1) no addiction to alcohol, 2) no smoking habit, a feeling of happiness, 3) playing sports, no drug habit, harmonious relationships in the family, harmony with oneself , 5) physical well-being, 6) a meaningful life, communication with nature, a friendly attitude towards others, material well-being, 7) a positive attitude towards oneself, moderate alcohol consumption, proper nutrition, spiritual life, daily routine, the health of others.

For medical school students, the components of a healthy lifestyle are arranged in the following order: 1) playing sports, 2) no addiction to alcohol, 3) no drug habit, no smoking habit, 4) proper nutrition, 5) daily routine, 6) meaningful life , 7) material well-being, activities for the benefit of society, absence of promiscuous sex life, harmony with oneself, positive attitude towards oneself, 8) communication with nature, self-development, hardening, optimistic attitude towards life.

For female lawyers, the components of a healthy lifestyle are presented as follows: 1) no smoking habit, 2) playing sports, no drug habit, 3) no addiction to alcohol, proper nutrition, 4) communication with nature, 5) moderate alcohol consumption, self-development, meaningful life, 6) positive attitude towards oneself, harmonious relationships in the family, spiritual life, moderate smoking, friendly attitude towards others, hygiene.

For young lawyers, this sequence is as follows: 1) sports, no smoking habit, 2) no addiction to alcohol, 3) proper nutrition, 4) daily routine, no drug habit, 6) hygiene, hardening, no disorderly behavior. sexual life, self-development, friendly attitude towards others, spiritual life, positive attitude towards oneself, harmonious relationships in the family.

Consequently, people’s ideas about a healthy lifestyle adolescence, regardless of their education, primarily come down to sports, the absence of bad habits and proper nutrition. At the same time, doctors name the most important components of a healthy lifestyle as a feeling of happiness, harmony with oneself, harmonious relationships in the family, which is more consistent with modern ideas about a healthy lifestyle, which are not limited only to factors of physical health. It is also noteworthy that moderate consumption of alcohol and cigarettes is not considered by some of the subjects as non-compliance with a healthy lifestyle. Thus, moderate alcohol consumption is allowed not only by non-medical students, but also by doctors.

The subjects named the following indicators as the main sign of a healthy lifestyle: doctors (health - 35%, wellness- 25%, good mood - 15%, inner peace - 15%, harmonious relationships in the family - 10%, sports - 10%, lack of alcohol habit - 5%, friendly attitude towards others - 5%); medical school students (good mood - 60%, health - 35%, good health - 25%, no smoking habit - 20%, moderate alcohol consumption - 20%, good figure - 20%, inner peace -20%, sports - 10 %, self-development - 10%, absence of drug habit - 10%, meaningful life - 5%, fresh air - 5%, creativity - 5%); female lawyers (good mood - 29.4%, good health - 29.4%, health - 23.5%, sports - 23.5%, self-confidence - 5.9%, inner peace- 5.9%, regime - 5.9%, proper nutrition - 5.9%, success in business - 5.9%, living as it turns out - 5.9%, youth - 5.9%); young lawyers (sports - 50% of subjects, good mood - 27.8%, absence of illness - 22.2%, proper nutrition - 16.7%, good figure - 16.7%, good health - 11.1%, friendly attitude towards others - 5.6%, hardening - 5.6%, absence of bad habits - 5.6%).

Thus, as the main sign of a healthy lifestyle, both the components of a healthy image and indicators of health are noted, which at the subjective level is assessed as good health and good mood.

Based on the analysis of ranking data for the components of a healthy lifestyle proposed in the methodology, the following results were obtained.

Table 2.3

Table of ranks of components of a healthy lifestyle for medical practitioners, medical college students and law students

As Table 2.3 shows, doctors rank the components (factors) of a healthy lifestyle in the following order: in the first place is a meaningful life, then harmonious relationships in the family, proper nutrition, non-use of drugs, the fifth place is taken by a full spiritual life, sports and positive attitude towards oneself, a friendly attitude towards oneself, self-improvement, absence of promiscuous sex life, absence of nicotine habit, absence of alcohol habit. Thus, doctors have a broader idea of ​​a healthy lifestyle than stating the absence of bad habits, since a meaningful life and harmonious relationships in the family are more important to them, and the absence of the habit of nicotine and alcohol takes last place.

The following picture is observed among medical school students: non-use of drugs, playing sports, no habit of alcohol, meaningful life, no habit of nicotine, proper nutrition, not leading a promiscuous sex life, harmonious relationships in the family, a friendly attitude towards others, a full spiritual life, positive attitude towards oneself, self-improvement. As you can see, the first places belong to such components of a healthy lifestyle as the absence of bad habits and playing sports, which traditionally refers to a complete and comprehensive description of a healthy lifestyle at the level of everyday consciousness.

The female lawyers arranged the components of a healthy lifestyle in the following sequence: harmonious relationships in the family, proper nutrition, exercise, a meaningful life, self-improvement, the sixth and seventh places are occupied by the absence of the habit of alcohol and drugs, then there is a friendly attitude towards others, the absence of the habit of smoking, a positive attitude towards oneself, a full spiritual life, and in last place - the absence of promiscuous sex life. As can be seen from this list, for girls, proper nutrition and exercise are more important for a healthy lifestyle than the absence of bad habits.

For young lawyers, the first place among the components of a healthy lifestyle is a meaningful life, followed by proper nutrition, exercise, a positive attitude towards oneself, fifth and sixth place is shared by harmonious family relationships and self-improvement, then comes non-use of drugs, a full spiritual life, lack of smoking habit, friendly attitude towards others, the last places are occupied by non-drinking alcohol and promiscuous sex life.

This sequence of components of a healthy lifestyle, moving the absence of bad habits to lower positions can be considered as helping the technique to expand ideas about a healthy lifestyle, not limiting it exclusively to sports and the absence of bad habits.

Table 2.4

Components of a healthy lifestyle

at the level of unconscious ideas

As a result of analyzing the pictures, we can draw a number of conclusions about unconscious ideas about a healthy lifestyle.

Thus, as can be seen from Table 2.4, the sample of doctors identified more components of a healthy lifestyle than the samples of medical school students and law students, which may indicate greater complexity and versatility of their ideas about a healthy lifestyle compared to other groups. The components of a healthy lifestyle are arranged in the following sequence: 1) communication with nature, 2) an optimistic attitude towards life, 3) self-development, sports, 4) family, no alcohol habit, no drug habit, proper nutrition, love, 5) absence of smoking habit, activity of the health care system. Thus, in the drawings, the place of bad habits among doctors became lower compared to conscious ideas. At the same time, although it is an insignificant role in ensuring a healthy lifestyle for the population, the activities of the health care system play for them, which is no longer noted in any of the groups as a component of a healthy lifestyle. This can be seen both as taking on the mission of being a guide to a healthy lifestyle, and as shifting responsibility for health, including your own, to medicine.

For medical school students, the components of a healthy lifestyle based on the drawings represent the following order of importance for a healthy lifestyle: 1) communication with nature, 2) an optimistic attitude towards life, 3) playing sports, 4) no alcohol habit, no drug habit , 5) absence of smoking habit, 6) family, 7) friendly attitude towards others, absence of promiscuous sex life. As you can see, among girls, sports and the absence of bad habits are reflected in drawings less often than in unfinished sentences, but nevertheless constitute the main content of their unconscious ideas about a healthy lifestyle.

For female lawyers, the components of a healthy lifestyle are arranged in the following order: 1) communication with nature, 2) playing sports, 3) no smoking habit, 4) no alcohol habit, no promiscuous sex life, 5) no drug habit, family, 6) friendly relations with others, proper nutrition, optimistic attitude towards life.

For young men, the picture is as follows: 1) playing sports, 2) no smoking habit, 3) an optimistic attitude towards life, communication with nature, no alcohol habit, no drug habit, no promiscuous sex life, proper nutrition. It is not difficult to notice that among young lawyers, unconscious ideas about a healthy lifestyle largely coincide with conscious ones, which boil down to playing sports and the absence of bad habits, especially since “communication with nature” reflected in the drawings practically comes down to playing sports in the fresh air. air (skiing from the mountains, sailing on a yacht).

Among the drawings there were also those that reflected not the components of a healthy lifestyle, but rather the advantages that it brings to a person. For example, there was a drawing with a scepter and an orb, which we interpret as an opportunity to achieve great success in life thanks to a healthy lifestyle.

In general, analysis of the figures shows that the most multifaceted ideas about a healthy lifestyle are inherent in doctors, and the most superficial, when a healthy lifestyle is understood as the absence of bad habits and playing sports, are observed among young lawyers. Health professionals' broader views on healthy lifestyles may be related to both work experience and broader life experiences. And for more precise definition mediation of ideas about a healthy lifestyle by medical education and work experience, it is necessary to compare the ideas about a healthy lifestyle of people of the same age groups with medical and non-medical education, which may be a further stage of this work.

Differences were also revealed in the subjects' attitudes toward health (either as a means or as an end). Thus, 40% of doctors and medical college students view health as a goal and 60% see it as a means. At the same time, among lawyers there is a different ratio: 88% of girls view it as a means and only 12% see health as a goal. At the same time, 29% of girls note that they define health as a means only because they have it, which can be seen as the fact that they admit that health can be a goal if any problems arise with it. 27.8% of young lawyers consider health as a goal, 61.1% - as a means, 1 person noted that he defines health for himself as both a goal and a means, and one person described it as neither one nor the other.

As an explanation of why health is considered as a goal, the following are noted: longevity, disease prevention, health is the most important thing in life, health is the key to a happy life, the key to an easy, problem-free life, loss of meaning in life when health is lost, and so on. Thus, often when stating that health is the goal of life, it is actually considered as a means to achieve various life goals, and considering it as a goal only emphasizes the undoubted importance of health for a given person.

When considering health as a means, the following arguments are given: achieving other life goals; health as the key to a happy life; health is considered as a means because it exists (29.4% of female lawyers and 5.6% of male lawyers answered this way), i.e. it is assumed that health can become a goal if there are any problems with it; health is a means because I do not always strive to maintain a healthy lifestyle (this argument implies that health could also be a goal under certain favorable conditions

We also determined how necessary the subjects considered a healthy lifestyle.

It turned out that 100% of young men believe that a healthy lifestyle is necessary, justifying their answer with the following arguments: a healthy lifestyle is the key to longevity (11%), preventing diseases (38.9%), not being a burden to loved ones in old age (11%), A healthy lifestyle promotes the development of strength (11%), is necessary to achieve various goals in life (27.8%), and for the prosperity of the state (5.6%). Thus, young men view a healthy lifestyle in most cases not positively (for development, improvement), but negatively (as a way to prevent diseases).

Among female lawyers, 80% indicated that a healthy lifestyle is necessary, 20% find it difficult to speak unequivocally about its necessity. And, like boys, the main importance of a healthy lifestyle is seen by girls in the prevention of diseases, and not in creation and development. In addition, 10% each noted that a healthy lifestyle is the key to longevity, Have a good mood And full life. Reasons for the need for a healthy lifestyle were also indicated, such as the health of children (5%) and promoting the creation of a family (5%).

The need for a healthy lifestyle was indicated by 60% of female medical college students and 40% could not clearly answer the question about its necessity. In the first case, the girls justified their answer as follows: A healthy lifestyle is a way to maintain health (40%), a healthy lifestyle promotes peace of mind (15%), is the key to a fulfilling life (10%), longevity (10%), beauty (5%), healthy offspring (5%), success (5%), benefit to society (10%).

Among doctors, 85% noted the need for a healthy lifestyle and 15% could not clearly indicate its need, noting that promoting health and prolonging life does not mean improving its quality. Largest quantity doctors see the importance of a healthy lifestyle in ensuring a happy family life (30%) and preventing diseases (30%); A healthy lifestyle is considered by 20% to be a guarantee of children’s health, a healthy lifestyle is considered by 10% to promote longevity, and another 10% indicate that it contributes to the preservation of life on Earth. Again, the vision of a healthy lifestyle as a way to primarily prevent diseases attracts attention. The greater share of the reason for the need for a healthy lifestyle, such as the health of children, is most likely explained by the fact that the majority of the sample of doctors are women with families and children.

When analyzing the answers to the question about the degree of implementation of a healthy lifestyle, the following results were obtained: among doctors this figure was 57.4%, among medical college students - 63.3%, among female lawyers - 71.4% and among male lawyers - 73.1%. Thus, young men consider themselves to be the most adhering to a healthy lifestyle, and medical practitioners rank according to this indicator last place. Such results can be easily explained based on the ideas of a particular group about a healthy lifestyle. Thus, they are limited mainly to the absence of bad habits and playing sports, while for doctors a healthy lifestyle is a more capacious concept, and therefore, it is more difficult to ensure its 100% implementation.

The subjects themselves name the following as reasons for not achieving 100% implementation of a healthy image: medical students (irregular exercise - 45%, smoking - 20%, irregular nutrition - 10%, alcohol consumption - 10%, insufficient sleep - 10%, bad ecology- 10%), female lawyers (poor diet - 23.5%, smoking - 11.8%, unsystematic sports - 6%, alcohol consumption - 6%, poor environment - 6%), male lawyers (alcohol consumption - 22.2%, smoking - 22.2%, unhealthy diet - 16.7%, lack of time to lead a healthy lifestyle - 11.1%, insufficient sleep - 5.6%, non-compliance with the regime - 5.6%) . As can be seen from the above answers, a healthy lifestyle comes down to factors that ensure physical health. In addition, young men view it as requiring special conditions for its implementation, in particular additional time.

We also analyzed such a question as the desire to change one’s own lifestyle. We correlated the desire to lead a healthier lifestyle with the degree of its implementation.

It was found that 80% of doctors, 75% of medical college students, 65% of female lawyers and 55.6% of male lawyers would like to lead a healthier lifestyle. As can be seen from the data presented, the less fulfilled the subjects consider a healthy lifestyle, the more often they have a desire to lead a healthier lifestyle. And since doctors occupy the last place in terms of the degree of implementation of a healthy lifestyle, in this case they take the lead in the desire for a healthier lifestyle.

Conclusion

The purpose of our work is to study ideas about a healthy lifestyle among practicing and future physicians, as well as among non-medical students.

This goal is specified in the form of the following tasks:

1) determining the place of health in the value system of doctors and students;

2) comparative analysis of conscious and unconscious ideas about a healthy lifestyle;

3) consideration of the relationship between physical and mental aspects in these ideas;

4) a comparative analysis of ideas about a healthy lifestyle among students of medical and economic colleges, as well as among doctors and students of a medical college;

5) comparative analysis of ideas about a healthy lifestyle among girls and boys;

6) identifying the degree of compliance of the ideas about a healthy lifestyle of doctors and students with modern scientific ideas.

Analysis of the results of the study allows us to draw a number of conclusions regarding the ideas about a healthy lifestyle in adolescence, as well as among doctors and future physicians.

Thus, in all groups of subjects, health occupies 1st place in the system of value orientations, but at the same time, the number of people who give priority to health among other values ​​is different, which gives grounds to judge the differences in attitudes towards their own health among the subjects. We can talk about the lack of influence of medical education on the importance of health for a person. Rather, it can be concluded that women generally place greater importance on health than men.

Ideas about a healthy lifestyle among adolescents, regardless of their education, primarily come down to sports, the absence of bad habits and proper nutrition. At the same time, doctors name the most important components of a healthy lifestyle such as a feeling of happiness, harmony with oneself, harmonious relationships in the family, which is more consistent with modern ideas about a healthy lifestyle, which is not limited to factors of physical health.

As the main sign of a healthy lifestyle, both the components of a healthy image and indicators of health are noted, which at the subjective level is assessed as good health and good mood.

Analysis of the figures shows that the most multifaceted ideas about a healthy lifestyle are characteristic of doctors, and the most superficial, when a healthy lifestyle is understood as the absence of bad habits and playing sports, are observed among young lawyers. Health professionals' broader views on healthy lifestyles may be related to both work experience and broader life experiences.

Differences were also revealed in the subjects' attitudes toward health (either as a means or as an end).

We found that the majority of subjects consider a healthy lifestyle necessary.

It was determined that the less fulfilled the subjects consider a healthy lifestyle, the more often they have a desire to lead a healthier lifestyle. And since doctors occupy last place in terms of the degree to which a healthy lifestyle is implemented, they also take the lead in striving for a healthier lifestyle.

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APPLICATIONS

Questionnaire

Instructions

Each of us has heard the expression “healthy lifestyle” and each of us has an idea of ​​what it is. To find out the differences in these views, we ask you to take part in our survey.

You are offered a questionnaire that consists of two parts: part A and part B.

Part A includes two types of questions. Some of them (questions No. 1, 2, 5) are the beginning of sentences. Read them carefully and complete them.

Other questions (No. 3, 4, 6) contain options for possible answers, from which you should choose the answer that you consider true for yourself. Then write why you chose this answer.

Don't waste time thinking, write what comes to mind first.

Part B includes only 2 points.

In paragraph 1 a list of 15 values ​​is presented. Read them carefully and arrange them in order of importance for you: the value that is the most important for you in life, assign number 1 and put it in brackets next to this value. Then, from the remaining values, select the most important one and put number 2 opposite it. Thus, rank all the values ​​in order of importance and put their numbers in brackets opposite the corresponding values.

If in the process of work you find it necessary to swap some values, you can correct your answers.

In paragraph 2 You are offered a list of 12 components of a healthy lifestyle. Read them carefully and choose the sign that you consider most important for a healthy lifestyle. In the box next to it, put the number 1. Then, from the remaining components, choose the one that, in your opinion, is the most important and put the number 2 opposite it. Thus, evaluate the importance of all signs for a healthy lifestyle. The least important one will remain last and will receive the number 12.

If in the process of work you find it necessary to change your opinion, you can correct your answers.

Thank you in advance for your participation.

Answer form

Full name................... DATE

FLOOR....................... "....."................... . 1999

Part A

1. I believe that a healthy lifestyle is. . .

2. Main sign a healthy lifestyle is. . .

3. Health for me is:

b) means

Explain why?

4. Do you think that a healthy lifestyle is necessary?

a) yes b) difficult to answer c) no

Why do you think so?

5. I believe that I maintain a healthy lifestyle by .............% because

6. I would like to lead:

a) healthier lifestyle

b) the same lifestyle as at the moment

Part B

1. material security

health

happiness of others

cognition

development

self confidence

creation

2. exercise

don't use drugs

lead a meaningful life

positive attitude towards yourself

harmonious family relationships

don't drink alcohol

eat well and properly

live a full spiritual life

no smoking

do not be promiscuous

being kind to others

self-development, self-improvement

Protecting one's own health is the immediate responsibility of everyone; he has no right to shift it to others. After all, it often happens that a person, through an incorrect lifestyle, bad habits, physical inactivity, and overeating, by the age of 20-30 brings himself to a catastrophic state and only then remembers medicine. Health is the first and most important need of a person, determining his ability to work and ensuring the harmonious development of the individual. It is the most important prerequisite for understanding the world around us, for self-affirmation and human happiness. An active long life is an important component of the human factor. A healthy lifestyle (HLS) is a way of life based on the principles of morality, rationally organized, active, labor, hardening and, at the same time, protecting from adverse environmental influences. According to the definition of the World Health Organization (WHO), “health is a state of physical, spiritual and social well-being, and not just the absence of disease and physical defects.” In general, we can talk about three types of health: physical, mental and moral (social) health: Physical health is the natural state of the body, due to the normal functioning of all its organs and systems. If all organs and systems work well, then the entire human body (a self-regulating system) functions and develops correctly. Mental health depends on the state of the brain; it is characterized by the level and quality of thinking, the development of attention and memory, the degree of emotional stability, and the development of volitional qualities. Moral health is determined by those moral principles that are the basis social life person, i.e. life in a particular human society. Distinctive signs of a person’s moral health are, first of all, a conscious attitude to work, mastery of cultural treasures, active rejection of morals and habits that contradict the normal way of life. Therefore, social health is considered the highest measure of human health. Morally healthy people are characterized by a number of universal human qualities that make them real citizens.

Health is the most valuable thing we have. It cannot be bought for any money. Health needs to be strengthened and preserved. The formation of a healthy lifestyle depends only on ourselves, our preferences, beliefs and worldviews.

In our time, during the scientific, technological and industrial revolution, almost everything is done for a person by machines, depriving him of motor activity. The main share of physical activity comes from sports and physical education. For which we, as always, do not have the opportunity, time, energy, desire, etc. Hence poor health, lethargy, illness, obesity and other ailments.

A healthy lifestyle can be described as an active activity of people aimed, first of all, at maintaining and improving health. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account that the life expectancy of a person and family does not develop on its own depending on circumstances, but is formed throughout life purposefully and constantly.

A healthy lifestyle includes the following basic elements:

1. schedule
2. rational work and rest regime, rational nutrition
3. breath
4. sleeping mode
5. eradication of bad habits,
6. optimal motor mode,
7. fruitful work,
8. personal hygiene,
9. massage
10. hardening, etc.

Let's look at some of them.

An integral part of a healthy lifestyle are high moral, moral and ethical values ​​of a person. Much attention must be paid to the formation of the consciousness of the individual as a social unit. The integrity of the human personality is manifested, first of all, in the interrelation and interaction of the mental and physical forces of the body. The harmony of the psychophysical forces of the body increases health reserves and creates conditions for creative self-expression in various areas of our lives. Academician N. M. Amosov proposes to introduce a new medical term “amount of health” to denote the measure of the body’s reserves. Let's say that a person in a calm state passes through the lungs 5-9 liters of air per minute. Some highly trained athletes can arbitrarily pass 150 liters of air every minute for 10-11 minutes, i.e. exceeding the norm by 30 times. This is the body's reserve. Likewise, there are hidden reserves of the kidneys and liver. They are detected using various stress tests. Health is the amount of reserves in the body, it is the maximum productivity of organs while maintaining the qualitative limits of their function.

Labor, both physical and mental, is not only not harmful, but on the contrary, a systematic and well-organized labor process has an extremely beneficial effect on the nervous system, heart and blood vessels - on the entire human body. Constant training during labor strengthens our body. Those who work hard and well throughout their lives live long; on the contrary, idleness leads to muscle weakness, metabolic disorders, obesity and premature decrepitness.

In the observed cases of overstrain and overwork of a person, it is not the work itself that is to blame, but the incorrect work regime. It is necessary to correctly and skillfully distribute forces while performing work, both physical and mental. Smooth, rhythmic work is more productive and beneficial for the health of workers than alternating periods of downtime with periods of intense, hasty work; interesting and favorite work is done easily, without stress, and does not cause fatigue and exhaustion. Important right choice professions in accordance with a person’s individual abilities and inclinations.

The next component of a healthy lifestyle is rational nutrition. When talking about it, you should remember two basic laws, the violation of which is dangerous to health.

The first law: balance of energy received and energy expended. If the body receives more energy than it expends, that is, if we receive more food than is necessary for normal human development, for work and well-being, we become fat. Now more than a third of our country, including children, is overweight. And there is only one reason - excess nutrition, which ultimately leads to atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and a number of other ailments.

Second law: nutrition should be varied and meet the needs for proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. Many of these substances are irreplaceable because they are not formed in the body, but come only with food. The absence of at least one of them, for example, vitamin C, leads to illness and even death. We get B vitamins mainly from wholemeal bread, and the source of vitamin A and other fat-soluble vitamins are dairy products, fish oil, and liver.

The first rule in any natural nutrition system should be:

Eating only when you feel hungry.

Refusal to eat in case of pain, mental and physical malaise, fever and elevated body temperature.

Refusal to eat immediately before bed, as well as before and after serious work, physical or mental.

The most beneficial for children and adolescents of school age is a four-meal diet:

• I breakfast - 25% of the daily ration
• II breakfast - 15% of the daily ration
• lunch - 40% of the daily ration
• dinner - 20% of the daily ration

Lunch should be the most satisfying. It is useful to have dinner no later than 1.5 hours before bedtime. It is recommended to always eat at the same hours. This develops a conditioned reflex in a person, at a certain time he develops an appetite. And food eaten with appetite is better absorbed. It is very important to have free time to digest food. The idea that exercise after eating helps digestion is a grave mistake. Rational nutrition ensures proper growth and formation of the body, helps maintain health,

To maintain the normal functioning of the nervous system and the entire body, proper dream. The great Russian physiologist I.P. Pavlov pointed out that sleep is a kind of inhibition that protects the nervous system from excessive tension and fatigue. Sleep should be long enough and deep. If a person sleeps little, then he gets up in the morning irritated, tired, and sometimes with a headache. It is impossible for all people, without exception, to determine the time needed for sleep. The need for sleep varies from person to person. On average, this norm is about 8 hours. Unfortunately, some people view sleep as a reserve from which they can borrow time to do certain things. Systematic lack of sleep leads to impaired nervous activity, decreased performance, increased fatigue, and irritability.

To create conditions for normal, sound and restful sleep, you need to stop intense mental work 1-1.5 hours before bedtime. You should have dinner no later than 2-2.5 hours before bedtime. This is important for complete digestion of food. You should sleep in a well-ventilated area. You need to turn off the lights in the room and establish silence. Nightwear should be loose and not impede blood circulation; you should not sleep in outerwear. It is not recommended to cover your head with a blanket or sleep face down: this interferes with normal breathing. It is advisable to go to bed at the same time - this helps you fall asleep quickly. Neglecting these simple rules of sleep hygiene causes negative effects. Sleep becomes shallow and restless, as a result of which, as a rule, insomnia and certain disorders in the activity of the nervous system develop over time.

Gymnastics

Nowadays, gymnastics is a system of specially selected physical exercises and methodological techniques used for comprehensive physical development, improvement of motor abilities and health improvement. Gymnastics has many varieties, and we will begin our acquaintance with them with exercises. “There is no better cure for illness, do exercises until you are old,” says an ancient Indian proverb. And exercise is usually called 10-15-minute morning hygienic exercises.

Morning exercises

Morning exercises are physical exercises performed in the morning after sleep and contribute to an accelerated transition of the body to a vigorous, working state. During sleep, the human central nervous system is in a peculiar state: rest from daytime activity. At the same time, the intensity of physiological processes in the body decreases. Performing physical exercises causes flows of nerve impulses from working muscles and joints and brings the central nervous system into an active, active state. Accordingly, the work of internal organs is also activated, providing a person with high performance, giving him a noticeable surge of vigor. Exercise should not be confused with physical training, the purpose of which is to obtain a more or less significant load, as well as to develop the physical qualities necessary for a person.

Stress can have both a mobilizing and a negative impact on activity, up to its complete disorganization (distress). Therefore, optimization of any type of activity should include a set of measures to prevent the causes of stress. One of them, and probably the most significant, is physical culture and sports.

Which young person doesn’t want to be strong, agile, resilient, have a harmoniously developed body and good coordination of movements? Good physical condition is the key successful studies and fruitful work. A physically trained person can handle any job. Not all people are blessed with these qualities by nature. However, they can be acquired if you become friends with physical culture and join it from childhood.

Physical culture is an integral part of general culture. It not only improves health, but also relieves some congenital and acquired ailments. Physical culture is needed by people for both physical and mental work. But it is especially necessary for children and adolescents, since at their age the foundation for physical development and health is laid.

Physical education and sports are becoming especially important now, in the age of the technical revolution, when mechanization and automation are being introduced into industry and agriculture at a rapid pace. The work of many workers is gradually reduced to operating machines. This reduces the muscular activity of workers; without it, many organs of the human body work at a reduced level and gradually weaken. This muscle load is compensated for by physical education and sports. Scientists have found that physical education and sports have a beneficial effect on labor productivity.

Physical education and sports also provide an invaluable service in developing high moral qualities in young people. They experience will, courage, perseverance in achieving goals, a sense of responsibility and camaraderie.

general psychology and personality psychology

some problems of health psychology and healthy lifestyle

G.V. Zalevsky, Yu.V. Kuzmina (Tomsk)

Annotation. Some current problems of human health psychology and healthy lifestyle are discussed. The emphasis is placed on the sociocultural aspects of ideas about health in different periods development of humanity.

Key words: health psychology; Lifestyle; sociocultural standard of health; healthy personality; civilization.

In almost all world cultures, it is customary to greet each other at meetings and farewells with wishes of health. In fair opinion

A. Schopenhauer, health so outweighs all other blessings of life that a healthy beggar is happier than a sick king. In our opinion, the Russian doctor and writer comprehensively assessed the role of health in human life

B. Veresaev, believing that there is nothing to worry about with health, no tests; to lose it means to lose everything; without it there is no freedom, no independence, a person becomes a slave of the people around him and the environment; it is the highest and necessary good, and yet it is so difficult to retain it. G. Heine, following Plato, considered health “the only beauty.” Much earlier, Herodotus said about this: “When there is no health, wisdom is silent, art cannot flourish, strength does not play, wealth is useless and reason is powerless” (quoted by).

It would seem that this “beauty” and one of the most priceless human values ​​(“health cannot be bought at any price”!) should be cherished, protected and strengthened by people like no other. But, alas! Statistics inexorably demonstrate a deteriorating trend in human health, and this with increasing average duration life! The paradox is that in the second half of life (which, by the way, is increasingly lengthened to the detriment of the first half), a person, as a rule, is already being treated, i.e. increases his life expectancy only due to medical advances.

Civilization gallops and not always for the benefit of people, for the benefit of culture, including for the benefit of a culture of health. The largest ethologist of the twentieth century. K. Lorenz spoke about the eight deadly sins of civilized humanity that threaten modern civilization self-destruction, and humanity as a species - death: overpopulation of the Earth; devastation of natural living space; the ever accelerating development of technology, which makes people blind to all sub-

Hello! I wish you good health!

Hello bulls!

Be healthy!

People's greetings

Inexorable statistics, contradictory in numbers, but unanimous in assessing trends, also indicate that most of the diseases known to man are getting younger, and some of them are generally diseases of the young (AIDS, alcoholism, drug addiction, substance abuse and many so-called non-chemical addictions) . All these problems of human health were prophetically classified as “diseases of civilization” by K. Jaspers. The number of so-called frequently ill children is also growing. However, today we are talking not only about the deterioration of people’s physical health, but also about its other aspects, so to speak, along the entire structural-level vertical of a person’s individuality: mental, psychological, social and spiritual health. Thus, terrorism is bloody evidence of the ever-increasing spiritual ill-health of individuals and social communities, the devaluation human life. “All healthy people love life,” said G. Heine. Today it seems that there are more and more people who do not like life, which means that the question of their spiritual health can be raised.

Currently, in many countries, including Russia, concern about the state of health is

villages are also noted at the government level, comprehensive “Health of the Nation” programs are being created, scientific forums are being held, etc. Problems of people's health are also a challenge to science, including psychological science, since there is still a lot unresolved problems theoretical and practical plans for preserving and strengthening all aspects of health remain unresolved. This is due to many factors, including the fact that in the public consciousness for many years the disease was cultivated as a value - financial and scientific efforts were mainly directed towards it; health was taken for granted. Spirituality and spiritual health in general turned out to be outside the subject of psychology. True, our foreign colleagues paid attention to the problems of health psychology a little earlier. In 1978, the “Health Psychology” department was opened at the American Psychological Association; Since 1982, the journal “Health Psychology” began to be published.

Today there is no agreement among scientists about what health is in general, mental, psychological and spiritual health in particular. Questions remain open about explanatory models of health, standards of health and a healthy person (person), a healthy lifestyle, the place of health in the hierarchy of value orientations, etc. Clarifying these and other health questions modern man has become especially relevant today, since in the era of socio-economic crises and innovation processes we are experiencing, the question is raised about the price - health - that people must pay in order to overcome these crises by carrying out innovative activities.

In an effort to improve their health and try to lead a healthy lifestyle, each person, often without realizing it, focuses on certain patterns or standards of health. Many authors agree on identifying three sociocultural standards of health - ancient, adaptive and anthropocentric. While not considered exhaustive today, attempts are being made to present an integrative standard of health.

The ancient model of health as internal consistency has its roots in the 5th century. BC. to the definition of Alcmaeon (health is the harmony of oppositely directed forces). The clearest reflection of this model is found in the works of Plato, who embraced in it polar and one-sided definitions of health: the physiology of Hippocrates (health “as the correct mixture of juices, or humors, of the human body”) and the psychologism of Cicero (health “as the correct ratio of various mental states”). in the concept of “kalokagathia”. Health is generally defined as the proportionality of the soul, the proportionality of the body and the proportionality of their connection, otherwise - “the sphere where the elements of the soul and body merge and are identified.” The Stoics (from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius, Epicte-

Ta, Juvenal, Seneca, etc.) health is interpreted not only as a constant alignment of soul and body, but also as life in harmony with Nature (“ final goal man”, according to Zeno). A healthy person is a person who is characterized by sanity, or understanding, and spiritual independence. A healthy spirit is free, firm, unshakable and not subject to foreign external influence, ruling over the passions of the soul and bodily lusts, manifesting itself in free goal-setting and expression of will (“a slave is one who cannot control himself”).

0.C. Vasiliev and F.R. Filatov, having carried out the appropriate analysis, reduces the ancient concept of health to several basic principles:

1. Health in the ancient understanding is associated primarily with the internal structure of a person and to a much lesser extent affects the system of his relations with the outside world.

2. Health is interpreted as harmony and proportionality, and a healthy state of a person is based on the optimal ratio of the bodily and mental components of human nature and presupposes a balance of opposing forces that determine the life and activity of the subject.

3. To be healthy means to consistently follow your own nature and general nature of things.

4. A healthy life is based on the guidance of the mind. Internal consistency is achieved when a person, guided by reason, lives in complete harmony with his own nature, without distorting it (for example, by excessive passions) and without opposing it (due to unreason).

5. The main mental qualities of a healthy person are sanity and self-control. Thanks to them, a person controls his own passions, not allowing them to plunge himself into confusion, steadfastly endures hardships and disasters, and does not depend on external influences and benefits.

6. Turning to oneself is a necessary condition for a healthy and fulfilling existence. Striving for health and balance, the “fulcrum” should be sought (contrary to the Archimedean principle) not outside, but within oneself, because external benefits are transitory, do not belong to you and can only bring temporary satisfaction or pleasure, but do not provide a permanent stable position in the world .

7. The internal structure of a healthy person is similar to the construction of a perfect structure of the universe and is the embodiment of the Universal Higher Order.

However, antiquity left us not only the most general conceptual scheme and standard of health, but also the fundamental principles and specific “technologies” of healing.

The two overriding principles on which the ancient practice of healing is based are healthy moderation (ataraxia) and self-care (“culture

myself"). This is reflected in Juvenal’s advice: “Live modestly, take care of your garden, desire exactly as much as hunger and thirst, heat and cold dictate to you; learn compassion, be kind to children, let there be a healthy mind in your healthy body (mens sana in corpore sano)” (quoted by).

Deeply rooted in the ancient consciousness, these two principles are found in other cultures and in other historical eras, which suggests their stability and universality.

Adaptation model of health. The analysis of adaptation theories and concepts made it possible to conditionally identify three main aspects of the adaptation problem of health.

1. Ecological aspect: health as harmonious coexistence with the natural environment, in accordance with the biological nature of man; The natural conformity of human existence, the violation of which leads to diseases and environmental disasters.

2. Normative aspect: health as compliance of the individual’s condition and behavior with social and cultural norms accepted in a given community; the ability to adequately assimilate these norms.

3. Communicative and interactive aspect: health as full communication and adequate interaction with the human environment; adequacy and productivity of social relations of the individual.

Next, four main characteristics of the health of this sociocultural standard are highlighted. Two of them are the most general (typical), while the other two characterize a specific personality in the uniqueness of its adaptive capabilities:

1. Adaptation to the natural environment - the ability not only to survive in the biological environment, but also to actively transform it (a characteristic that is more species-wide and population-wide than individual).

2. Normality - compliance with certain norms established within a particular culture (also a supra-individual, sociocultural characteristic of health, common to all representatives of a given cultural community); normality also determines the success of a particular individual in assimilating and reproducing social experience.

3. The ability to maintain the functioning of the body and psyche at an optimal level, maintaining a constant internal environment - individual biological characteristics, which determines the stress resistance and stability of an individual in the process of active interaction with the environment.

4. Harmonious inclusion in the community of people - the individual’s adaptability to his social environment, a direct result of the individual’s socialization (individual socio-psychological health characteristics that determine the success of a particular individual in establishing productive social relationships and resolving current conflicts, in

acceptance of adequate social roles and in the implementation of socio-psychological abilities).

If the ancient health system was built around a single value - the reasonable orderliness of life, striving for the highest Good, then the adaptation model gives rise to value dualism - Nature and Society. The choice of one of these values ​​as a priority leads to the fact that the other acts as a negative influence on health. In one case, the main causes of ill health will be recognized as urbanization, the accelerated pace of technical and social progress, etc., and in the other, nature will be accused of creating a person weak, poorly adapted to natural conditions, and only successful social adaptation will give him a chance to survive.

According to the established Western view, Nature and Civilization have different purposes; biological and social lines of development intersect in a person, dooming him to constant internal conflict.

It is a fair opinion that the suppression of human nature in favor of the demands of society, like flight from social life, prevents the achievement of true integrity; a higher level of personal integration is achievable only under the condition of the synthesis of biological and social components of adaptation, on which the integral existence of a person in the world is based.

In our opinion, a synthesis of goals is necessary, but the priority in this case should be left to Nature - to learn its laws and take them into account, but not to strive to remake them. A person must humble his pride in relation to Nature; if he changes anything, then only what is subject to him, but not the laws of nature.

Anthropocentric standard. In the light of this standard, health is considered as comprehensive self-realization, or the disclosure of the creative and spiritual potential of the individual, highlighting various facets of understanding the universal characteristics and dimensions of health.

Thus, E. Erikson’s theory assumes the existence of an internal connection between personal growth and health, E. Fromm’s theory - between self-determination, freedom of choice and health, G. Allport’s theory - between health and personality maturity, which is acquired in the process of personal growth and presupposes: formation propriotic functions (integrative aspects of the Self); freedom, expressed in responsibility, self-determination; proactivity, or determination; an integral philosophy of life, or worldview, based on a certain system of values ​​(cited by).

K. Rogers also considered health in the aspect of natural development, becoming an open (congruent) personality to new experiences. For Rogers, a healthy person is a fully functioning person, a person leading a "good life" that

characterized by increasing openness to experience; the desire to live in the present; trust in your body; process of more complete functioning; a new perspective on the relationship between freedom and necessity; creativity as an element of a good life; a fundamental trust in human nature; a more fulfilling life.

A. Maslow’s concept of a “mentally healthy individual” is considered the most complete and structured humanistic concept of health. People who have reached the heights of self-actualization can be regarded as living standards of mental health.

The stable characteristics of a healthy personality, according to the humanistic model, can include: self-actualization as the individual’s focus on revealing his creative and spiritual potential; full development, dynamism and personal growth, i.e. readiness for life changes and internal transformation, the ability to actively overcome difficulties and obstacles on the path to integrity, ascending to higher levels of awareness and integration - qualities that are directly opposite to the mental rigidity of the individual; openness to experience and initial trust in the processes of life - the ability to accept any experience, maintaining trust in the world under any adversity and trials; the ability for genuine dialogue: to overcome defenses, to accept the Other as an unconditional value and unique integrity, to deep understanding, empathy and cooperation; freedom in experience, self-expression and self-determination, without which neither true creativity nor personal position, and therefore responsibility, sincerity, congruence and self-acceptance are possible; meaningfulness of existence, integrity as the highest goal personal development and tendencies towards integration (a healthy person is always potentially whole, i.e., in his development, he is aimed at gaining integrity and unity).

While recognizing the significant achievements of humanistic psychology, we should be aware of the limitations and shortcomings of this approach. In the apt expression of J. Potter, humanistic psychology created a “romantic image of the Self” (quoted by). There is still no convincing answer to a number of questions, including the question: if every person has an active desire for health, a craving for self-actualization, then why do so few people achieve it, and self-actualization sometimes leads to tragedies on a global scale?

As part of the transpersonal modification of the anthropocentric standard, it makes sense to talk about health as an accompanying factor at the stage of transition to a new, higher spiritual state. In this case, health acts only as a necessary condition for transition - a strong and reliable bridge leading to the Self, spiritual freedom or (as in alchemical practices) to immortality. It can also be defined as the link that provides the optimal connection between the individual and transpersonal components of experience.

A general picture of comparison of the three sociocultural standards of health discussed above is presented in the table.

How do the identified sociocultural standards manifest themselves in the sphere of the health of an individual and in the psychological space of her relations with the world? The answer to this question involves conducting fundamental psychological research into the problems of health psychology and a healthy lifestyle. We have to admit that this kind of research is still at the beginning of its path in domestic psychology, although they are more intensively studied in foreign psychology.

In conclusion, we note that we and our colleagues have been conducting this kind of research for a number of years within the framework of the main direction of scientific research.

Characteristics of sociocultural standards of health [O.S. Vasilyeva, F.R. Filatov, 2001. pp. 234-235]

Types of standards

Structural elements of standards Ancient standard Adaptation standard Anthropocentric standard

Definition of health 1. Internal consistency. 2. Optimal balance of human nature Adaptation of the individual to the environment Comprehensive self-realization, disclosure of creative and spiritual potential

Characteristics of a healthy personality 1. Balance. 2. Self-control. 3. Dominion of reason over passions 1. Adaptation to the natural environment. 2. Conformity to social norms (normality). 3. Ability to maintain an optimal level of functioning (stress tolerance). 4. Harmonious inclusion in the community of people 1. The desire for self-actualization. 2. Congruence. 3. Spiritual autonomy. 4. Integrity

End of the table

Basic conditions and principles of recovery 1. Moderation. 2. Self-care (moderate hedonism). 3. Live in accordance with nature 1. Conformity with nature. 2. Socialization of the individual. 3. Convergence of the biological and social in man 1. Openness to experience. 2. Development, formation, personal growth. 3. Integration

Ways of healing 1. Cleansing ritual (catharsis). 2. Atarctica (healthy moderation). 3. Gymnastics and music. 4. Philosophy and work on oneself 1. Standardization (harmonization of personal characteristics with social norms). 2. Unity with nature. (living in harmony with one’s own biological nature and in harmony with the natural environment). 3. Humanization of interpersonal relationships. 4. Improvement of society 1. Creative self-disclosure. 2. Self-knowledge. 3. Spiritual practices of self-improvement (meditation, asceticism, etc.). 4. The mystical path of liberation

research of the Department of Genetic and Clinical Psycho-lifestyle of student youth - Intellectual Science, Faculty of Psychology, Tomsk State University on the potential of the nation." This message looks forward to 2015: “Health psychology and healthy we are starting a series of publications on this topic.

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SOME PROBLEMS OF HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY AND HEALTH STYLE OF LIFE Salevsky G.V., Kuzmina Y.V. (Tomsk)

Summary. In the article some actual problems of Health Psychology and health style of life are discussed. The emphasis id done on sociocultural aspects of ideas about healtht in different periods of human development.

Key words: health Psychology; style of life; sociocultural standard; health personality; civilization.

Psychological foundations of a healthy lifestyle
Modern professional activity is complex, multifaceted and requires maximum efficiency from specialists. The key to successful work and competitiveness is health. The psychology of professional health is the science of the psychological conditions of health in any professional activity, of the methods and means of its development and preservation.
What are the signs of a healthy person? Among them we can highlight three main. Firstly, the structural and functional safety of human systems and organs. Secondly, individual adaptability to the physical and social environment. And thirdly, the preservation and development of the potential physical and psychological capabilities of a healthy lifestyle and human activity.
Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) examined the approximate ratio of various factors to ensure the health of modern people. As a result, it was possible to identify four main derivatives:
– genetic factors (hereditary) – 15–20%;
– state of the environment (ecology) – 20–25%;
– medical support – 10–15%;
– conditions and lifestyle of people – 50–55%.
Let's assume that we come into this world already burdened with a predisposition to various diseases. The environment and medical care leave much to be desired. Nevertheless, we have real chances (and quite significant ones - 50–55%) to maintain physical and psychological health, provided that we live an appropriate lifestyle.

"Lifestyle"
What does this familiar phrase “lifestyle” mean? This is a type of human life activity, characterized by types of professional employment, way of life, form of satisfaction of material and spiritual needs, style of individual communication and behavior.
Unlike the universe, “lifestyle” is based not on three, but on four pillars: standard of living, quality of life, lifestyle and way of life. Unfortunately, the lifestyle of a modern person is characterized by physical inactivity, overeating, information overload, psycho-emotional overstrain, abuse of medications, caffeine, alcoholic drinks, etc. All this leads to the development of so-called diseases of civilization. The diseases of modern man are caused primarily by his lifestyle and everyday behavior. However, in the process of evolution, human life expectancy increases (in the Middle Ages, life expectancy was approximately 40 years). According to statistics, the life expectancy of a modern Russian man is 58 years, and that of a Russian woman is 72 years. This, unfortunately, is not the most high performance compared to statistics from Japan and the USA. However, modern health science - valeology predicts an 85 percent increase in life expectancy over the coming centuries. This is associated not with the success of medicine, but with the improvement of living and working conditions, and the rationalization of the population’s lifestyle.

Life style
When forming individual health, lifestyle has fundamental importance, because it is associated with the level of intellectual, moral and emotional development of the individual. Important place occupy the personal and motivational qualities of a person, his life guidelines. If we want to work effectively and receive satisfaction from the results of professional interaction, to be successful and competent, then we need to take care of ourselves every day.
The new health paradigm is clearly and constructively defined by Academician N.M. Amosov: “To be healthy, you need your own efforts, constant and significant. Nothing can replace them." In his book “Thoughts on Health” he formulates basic principles of health psychology:
1. For most diseases, it is not nature or society that is to blame, but only the person himself. Most often he gets sick from laziness, greed and unreasonableness.
2. Don't rely on medicine. It cures many diseases quite well, but it cannot make a person healthy... Moreover: be afraid of being captured by doctors! Sometimes they tend to exaggerate the weaknesses of man and the power of their science, create imaginary illnesses in people and issue bills that they cannot pay.
3. To become healthy, you need your own efforts. Constant and significant. Nothing can replace them. Man, fortunately, is so perfect that it is almost always possible to regain health. The required efforts increase as the diseases progress.
4. The magnitude of any effort is determined by incentives, incentives by the significance of the goal, time and probability of their achievement. And it’s a shame, but also in character. If a person is inattentive towards himself, then health as an important goal appears before him when specific symptoms of its absence clearly appear.
5. Four conditions are equally necessary for health: physical activity, dietary restrictions, hardening, time and the ability to rest. And fifth – happy life! Unfortunately, without the first four conditions it does not provide health...
6. Nature is merciful: 20-30 minutes of physical activity per day is enough to provide optimal needs for dynamic activity.
7. You need to limit yourself in food and create conditions for adequate, systematic nutrition. Maintain your weight to at least your height in centimeters minus 100.
8. Knowing how to relax is a science, but it also requires character. If only he were!
9. They say that health is happiness in itself. This is not true: it is so easy to get used to health and stop noticing it. However, it helps to achieve happiness in family and work. Helps, but doesn't define.
In these statements by an outstanding doctor, wise with life experience, before whom thousands of destinies have passed, who created his own health system and with its help cured not only himself, but also many patients, health is considered not as an end in itself, but as a condition for achieving well-being in professional and personal life . In other words, only if one is healthy can a person be happy; he makes other people happy by communicating constructively with them, loves his work and contributes to the progress of society through his activities.
Numerous studies prove that real reasons diseases lie not in the peculiarities of physiology, but in the psychological, or rather emotional, conditions of human life. Initially, any illness arises against the background of a complex set of daily negative emotions that surround a modern professional. Hence, practical psychology health is designed to teach the rules and basic techniques for countering the negative emotional attacks of others, the psychological difficulties of the professional microclimate and, finally, the development of positive character traits that contribute to the competent art of communication and self-preservation.

The cause of illness is character traits!
A number of studies have found a strong connection between a person’s character traits and his predisposition to certain diseases. Types “A”, “B” and “C” were identified, which are most susceptible to disease.
People of type “A” are characterized by an obsessive desire for success, high efficiency, turning into fanatical workaholism, a desire to do everything at a fast pace, an aggressive way of acting, high emotional instability, a tendency to violently demonstrate their emotions externally, and excessively inflated self-esteem.
The pronounced expression of such character traits inevitably leads to the manifestation of such symptoms of ill health as increased blood pressure, heart rhythm disturbances, and sudden attacks of radiculitis. Risk cardiovascular diseases in this group of people is very high.
Another type, “B”, tends to exhibit opposite traits: the desire for a measured lifestyle, low levels of activity and performance, lack of emotionality in communication, reluctance to professional development and improvement, lack of goals, values, prospects, low self-esteem.
Passivity, loss of positive motivation for activity, the desire for idle pastime and the transformation of any professional activity into a routine leads to the development of diseases such as metabolic disorders, diseases of the musculoskeletal system and digestive organs in people with these character traits.
If next to you is an insecure colleague with low self-esteem, then most likely he is a type “C”. He is likely to have the following characteristics: over-expressed compliance, excessive tolerance, significant emotional sensitivity, the desire to suppress the manifestation of emotional reactions, a tendency to immerse himself in his inner world and self-accusation, deep emotional experiences associated with interpersonal relationships.
Unfortunately, such character traits, developing against the background of constant melancholy (translated from Greek as “black bile”), can lead to the development of cancer. Scientists are inclined to believe that the risk of this group of diseases is associated with excessive emotional experiences and the duration of their occurrence.

Developing positive traits – preventing diseases
Since the relationship between major diseases and negative character traits is obvious, it turns out that their best prevention is to create conditions for the development of positive character traits.
The English psychologist M. Argyll identifies several factors on which the level of health and overall life satisfaction depend:
– presence of a large number of social connections and friendly contacts. It turns out that positive emotions from communicating with close, psychologically compatible people and generally good relationships allow you to overcome stressful situations. It has been noticed that, unlike sociable people, lonely people more often resort to smoking and drinking alcohol to combat stress, which worsens their condition;
– a strong family and the presence of children in them;
– interesting and beloved work that brings moral satisfaction. It has been proven that unemployment has a negative impact on health, since the unemployed are constantly in a stressful state, which provokes various diseases;
– a special personality type, which is characterized by the desire to work not only for one’s own material well-being, but also realizing the importance and necessity of one’s activities for society;
– presence of adequate goals, values, prospects in professional activity;
– optimism, belief in oneself, in the success of communication with other people and the prospects for the future.

Psychological exercise
It is well known that to maintain physical health it is necessary to perform a set of physical exercises. In the same way, to develop and maintain positive character traits that contribute to the formation of health psychology, it is important to master psychotechnical exercises. Here are some of them.
1. "Kind smile". Start each day with a positive mindset. Imagine that you radiate warmth, light, goodness. Smile at yourself with an “inner smile”, wish good morning to “your loved one”, to your loved ones. No matter how busy you are, try to greet others throughout the day with the same kind, sincere, friendly smile, because only positive emotions emanate from you, do not allow yourself to be “infected” by the negative emotions of others. Maintain this state throughout the working day, and in the evening analyze how you felt.
2. "I'm glad to see you" When meeting any person, even someone you don’t know at all, your first phrase should be: “I’m glad to see you!” Say it from your heart or think it and only then start a conversation. If during the conversation you feel irritated or angry, then every 2-3 minutes say mentally or out loud: “I’m glad to see you!”
3. " Nice conversation." If the question that causes you unpleasant emotions is not very important, try to make communication with the person as pleasant as possible. Whether your interlocutor is right or wrong (now this does not matter), try. So that this person feels good, calm, and has a desire to meet and communicate with you again.
4. " Contemplator." Learn to treat everything that happens to you, like an Eastern sage, contemplatively, that is, before reacting to the words or actions of people around you, ask yourself: “What would a calm, experienced, wise person do in my place? What would he say or do? So, tune yourself to a philosophical perception of reality, contemplatively think about the problem for a few minutes, and only then make decisions and act.
These psychotechnical exercises must be performed systematically, preferably daily, and then a positive result will not be long in coming, and you will find a positive mood and open up new opportunities for cooperation with people.

Excerpt from the Oxford Clinician's Handbook.

The essence of mental health.
A mentally ideally healthy person has the following properties.
The ability to love and be loved. Without this cardinal gift, the human being, more than all other mammals, is unable to succeed in life and be happy.
Enough energy to face change and uncertainty in life's circumstances without fear, to endure adversity wisely and with a spirit of practical optimism.
The gift of taking risks without endlessly contemplating and anticipating the worst that could happen.
A reserve of spontaneous “joy for life” and a wide range of emotional responses (including negative emotions and anger).
Effective contact with reality: not too reduced, but not too exaggerated. (As T. S. Eliot put it, “a human being cannot bear too much reality.”)
A certain degree of self-knowledge, sufficient to awaken human activity aimed at developing skills for self-improvement and correction of other people following a destructive path.
The ability to self-criticize and learn through experience.
The ability to say: “You are wrong!”, but also the ability to then forgive.
An adequate sense of security and adequate status in society.
The ability to satisfy the demand of a group of people, but combined with the freedom to choose whether to perform this action or not.
Freedom of expression in any way the person chooses.
The ability to succumb to the risk of fascination and to experience a sense of horror.
The ability to satisfy one’s own bodily desires, but also those of others.
A sense of humor in order to compensate for those of the above that a person does not possess.
Happiness doesn't have to be a component of mental health; and in reality, the feeling of happiness can be very vulnerable. Often, all that is needed to feel happiness is for it to go away for a while. This circumstance is very important; it is necessary for a person. All of this can be looked at as a rough blueprint for the survival of the human species.

Optimism, faith in yourself, in the success of communicating with other people and the promise of the future.

Rich in imagination, which gives the world hope for creativity and prosperity.