Evaluate The Positive Concept Of Health

Naidoo and Wills(2001, p.47) “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’ - WHO (1946).” This definition falls into a holistic way of defining health, which believes that there are more areas to look at when thinking of health than just simply the absence of a disease. It considers the cause of why someone is ill and not just simply about ’fixing it’.

The definition of health is the state of being free from illness and injury, it can also be used to explain a person’s mental or physical condition.

But over the past few decades, the definititon and concept of health has evolved to encompass more elements than just the physical well-being of a person. This is partly attributed to various researches and studies that have taken place around the world in the last 60 years. Already in 1948, the World Health Organization declared that health is “a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not

Firstly, looking at the positive definition of health, it is a positive concept, highlighting social and personal resources together with physical capacities. According to the World

Health is defined as “A set of attributes that allow a person to fully engage in life. Having the

Merriam-Webster dictionary (2017, para. 1), provides the following definitions of health: “1a. the condition of being sound in body, mind or spirit”, “1b. the general condition of the body” “2a. a condition in which someone or something is thriving or doing well: well-being”, and “2b. a general condition or state”. These definitions can be, and are, interpreted in many ways by both healthcare providers and patients. The World Health Organization (WHO, 2017, para. 1) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

The book definition of health is that it is a state of well-being free from disease (Finkleman and Kenner, 2013, p. 55). My personal definition of health is that it is a life experience of well-being that is characterized by soundness or wholeness. Having health means a person can continually adjust to internal and external stimuli while maintaining harmony, soundness, and comfort. Health is vital to my philosophy because as a nurse, it is my duty to promote health. Promoting health for the person makes the environment easier for the person to maintain their harmony. In order to promote health, I believe that it is vital to mobilize healthy patterns of living, foster personal and family development, and support self-defined goals of individuals, families, communities, and populations ( Finkleman and Kenner, 2013, p. 55; ANA 2010a, p. 23). Health of the patient, health of the healthcare professionals, and health of the environment is significant to my personal nursing philosophy. Health is the base for which I place my philosophy on. Without an established of promoting health, then the rest of my philosophy will fail. Promoting health helps prevent illness or injury and improve treatment which results in a patient’s health being whole and sound.

Health is the present medical status of an individual regarding mental wellbeing, functioning, and physical abilities

My personal definition of health is the absence of illness in a patient as a whole. I believe this should entail all aspect of a patients overall well being, including physical illness, social, psychosocial, environmental. Watson defines health as, “unity and harmony within the mind, body, and sound; congruence between the self as perceived and the self as experienced” (Miller, 2009)

This concept is the total opposite of positive concept of health. It is the concept that believes being healthy is merely the absence of disease or illness. This means that people who follow this concept think that if they do not have any symptoms of illnesses or diseases, they are already considered healthy. They do not have continuous action to follow in order to keep themselves healthy, like balanced diet and exercise. The people who believe in this concept only depends on what they see physically, they do not think about the internal problems that they may have especially if they are not looking after their health by not monitoring what they eat. Like the positive concept of health, the way a person will think about his or health affects his or her condition. For example, if a person is asked “Are you feeling well today?” the individual who has a negative concept of health may answer “Yes I am feeling well at the moment. However, I had colds the previous day and this morning I had a terrible headache.” The answer of the person shows that even if he is feeling well, he still thinks about the negative things he experienced and linking it to his health.

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”

What does the word health mean? According to Reutter & Eastlick Kusher (2014), World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (p. 2). Depending on the situation, certain individual may have a different perception of the meaning of health. However, the definition of health by the WHO will best fit the purpose of this paper. There are a lot of factors that can influence a person’s health. These factors are also called Social Determinants of Health. Braveman & Gottlieb (2014) states that, “The World Health Organization’s Commission on the Social Determinants of Health has defined SDH as ‘the conditions in which people are born, grow,

Health, like love is a and extensive word that can be defined in many ways. Accepting that the definition is incomplete, one can agree with the World Health Organization. Health is not an ability but a state where there is physical, mental, and social wellness.

Health is "a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" (WHO 1948).

In society today, there is an extensive range of definitions of health and wellbeing which can be seen as both positive and negative. A Holistic view can also be identified and defined. These definitions of health have changed over time and will carry on changing within the future. According to where a family lives or their social class everyone will have different meanings and views of health and wellbeing. This may be due to what one person perceives as being healthy as another person may not. Channel 4 learning (no date) describes that a positive view of health can be seen as when a person is more likely to achieve and sustain physical fitness from exercising and are mentally stable. Therefor a negative view can be described when a