HLPE1540

Scarlett Parker

Reflective Journal
2163370
Wednesday 3-6 workshop

aI have found myself feeling a sense of open-mindedness towards the topic of health
as a whole. Thorough discussion within the workshop has proven to further educate
the more almost unspoken in our generation elements of health in our every day
lives.
For me and probably many others my thoughts have always instantly linked being
healthy with physical appearance. Chapter three of the textbook has dealt with the
well-being and well-ness of health, demonstrating that since the end of World War 2,
the wellness movement has become a more outspoken and dominant factor of this
subject. The wellness movement explains that every part of a person has an effect on
their overall health (Heil, D. (2014) in Germov, 2013, p. 41). The World Health
Organisation describes heath as a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (World Health Organisation,
1946).

HLPE1540

Scarlett Parker

Reflective Journal
2163370
Wednesday 3-6 workshop

In reading this definition, I

linked it directly to the
concept of the
biophyschosocial (figure 1)
approach, exploring the
way in which health is
derived from an overlap
over biological,
psychological and social
elements (Germov, 2013, p.
44). Before this, it was easy

Figure 1

to assume that the major

characteristics of health were physical traits. Antonovskys research provides evidence
to argue this, stating that if a persons social, emotional, physical, mental and
educational aspects of life are non coherent, their ability to develop towards a
positive state of well being will suffer (Germov, 2013, 47). I have found myself
reading this and instantly relating it back to my own life and work. I have never taken
the time until now, to understand the domino effect in which these play in my own
life. I was born into a low/single income family; Ive had to work hard to make my
own money to be able to supply for myself. My family circumstance in which I was
born into has shaped my whole state of well being. Working full time, forty hours a
week, on top of full time study effects how much I sleep, the amount I get paid
(hence; what food I am able to buy) and most importantly, the level of stress I feel.
Antonovsky touches on this deeply in his research, specifically focusing on the way in
which stress levels are related to both mental and physical health. Poor mental health
can stream from low self-esteem which is linked closely to social exclusion. In the
end, the state in which we are born into (Wachowski (Director), 1999, [The
Matrix]) will have a detrimental effect on our well being. I feel as if Platos Allegory
of the cave reflects the ignorance of society, dealing closely with social exclusion.
Directly paralleling the prisoners, we have been born into our social status/conditions.
The prisoners grew up in this environment where they instantly believed in what they
could visually observe. This, to me, reflects the way in which media constructs and

HLPE1540

Scarlett Parker

Reflective Journal
2163370
Wednesday 3-6 workshop

shapes our thinking. If we dont look as fit as a model, its going to negatively effect
the way in which we view ourselves. Especially nowadays, I find myself feeling
envious towards not only the way people look, but their lifestyles. This constant
feeling of needing to fit in is added stress in my life when really this expectation
is un-realistic. In the end, after thorough research and discussion I have found that all
these aspects are making people vulnerable to even the slightest of mental disorders
(World Health Organisation, 2014).
The vision of health and all the ideologies behind what is healthy has expanded
and developed so much further and beyond physical attributes. Having read and
applied this knowledge, it has allowed me to relate it to my own life. It has truly
become a question of how much control we have over our health, and how much the
life we are born into impacts our biosychosocial balance of well being.