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A.Szerląg(Editedby),Healthinpedagogicaldiscoursesandschoolpractices.Selectedperspectives,Kraków2010
ISBN:978-83-7587-418-1,©byOficynaWydawnicza„Impuls”2010
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Healthinpostmodernity
Teconceptofhealthtreatedascapitalcameoutinthe60.and70.inthelast
century.Temostknownmodeltreatinghealthascapitalisknownasmodelof
thedemandforhealthtreatedasthecommoditynamed"goodhealth”5.Inthis
contexthealthcanbeviewedasadurablecapitalstockthatproducesanoutputof
healthytime.Itisassumedthatindividualsinheritaninitialstockofhealththat
decreaseswithagebutcanbeincreasedbyinvestments.Someindividualsare
betterat"producing”healththanotherpeople.Tisisoneofthefactors,which
generateandreflectthedifferencesinsocialpositions.
Healthisthekindofcapitalwhichhasno"excess”andisbeinglostintime.
Teveryimportantthingisthathealthmightbeeasilyconvertedtoanotherkinds
ofcapital:economic,culturalandsocial.Testockofhealthmayevendetermine
thesocialpositionofindividuals.
Buthealthisnotsoconcreteaimasforexamplerichness.Evenpro-
fessionaldefinitionsdonotcatchthepoint.Accordingtomedicalprofessionals
healthisdefinedas"astateofcompletephysical,mentalandsocialwell-beingand
notmerelytheabsenceofdiseaseorinfirmity”(WHO).Professionals,however,
donotknowhowpeoplecomprehendhealthasanaimwhichmustbereached.Is
itasocialvalueachievedundernormativepressureorjustanunidentifiedobject,
astatewhichallowstowork,raisechildren,meetfriendsanddoanykindofsocial
activity?Inthispaperwetrytoshow,thateffectivehealtheducationshouldpay
moreattentiontonon-professional,formedineverydaylifedefinitionsofhealth.
Inpresent,wehavetocallspecialattentiontosociologicalperspectivefocused
onculturalchanges,relayingonspreadingoutofanewandadequatedefinitionof
health.Temostimportantissueunderliesinincompatibilityofprofessionaland
commondefinitionsofhealthinpostmodernsocieties.Tismightbethemain
probleminsuccessfulhealthpromotion.
Tereisalsonoeasywaytodefinehealthasavalue.Teempiricalsenseof
"value”wassetbyKrzysztofPuchalski6,whodifferentiatesbetween1)thehealth
asavalueand2)thevalueofhealth.Whenwetrytounderstandcommondefini-
tionsofhealththenwemustconsidertwotypesofahumanactivity.Terstkind
reliesonprofessingsociallyacceptedviewssuchasHealthisthemostimportant
thinginentirelife.Tisiscallednormativevalueofhealth,whichreflectsthe
normativepressuretoachievegoalssociallydefinedasimportant.Ontheother
hand,healthishereakindofunspecifiedandidealizedstate,whichisunachiev-
able(unattainable)forsomeindividuals(fordisabledpeopleforexample).Te
normativevalueofhealthismanifestedbydoingproperthings(recommendedby
5M.Grossman,OntheconceptofHealthCapitalandtheDemandforHealth,"JournalofPoliti-
calEconomy”1972,80,2,March/April,p.224.
6K.Puchalski,Zdrowiewświadomościspołecznej(Healthinsocialconsciousness),Krajowe
CentrumPromocjiZdrowiawMiejscuPracy,Łódź1997,pp.72–76.