salutogenesis

noun

sa·​lut·​o·​gen·​e·​sis sə-ˌlü-tō-ˈje-nə-səs 

: an approach to human health that examines the factors contributing to the promotion and maintenance of physical and mental well-being rather than disease with particular emphasis on the coping mechanisms of individuals which help preserve health despite stressful conditions

This approach, called salutogenesis, suggests that we as humans have the innate capacity to move toward health in the face of hardship.

—Shanta R. Dube

Salutogenesis asserts that an individual's motivation to engage in health-promoting (as opposed to risky) behaviors can be positively or negatively affected by internal and external stimuli …

—Jeri Brittin et al.

salutogenic

sə-ˌlü-tō-ˈje-nik 

adjective

A salutogenic framework supports descriptions of how people stay well when encountering periods of stress.

—Andrew Griffin et al.

Word History

Etymology

Latin salūt-, salūs "safety, well-being, health" + -o- + -genesis (in pathogenesis) — more at salute entry 1

Note: The word was introduced by the Israeli-American medical sociologist Aaron Antonovsky (1923-94) in Health, Stress and Coping (San Francisco, 1979), p. vii.

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above