Sense of Coherence and Social Structure

Abstract

Sense of coherence (SOC)—the core concept of Antonovsky's salutogenic model—is defined as a dispositional orientation in which the internal and external environments are seen, to a greater or lesser extent, as comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful. Although a range of economic and social resources act as social determinants of health, a given set of resources does not automatically transform into a given level of health. A strong SOC is suggested to facilitate coping with stressors by using available resources more proficiently, and thereby to contribute to overall health and well-being. According to theory, SOC develops over a lifetime as a result of a person's consistent pattern of life experiences. One emerges from childhood with a tentative SOC that becomes more definitive during adolescence, and that is assumed to be fully developed and stabilized at the end of the third decade of life. SOC has been studied in several types of life stress circumstances in a variety of settings and in relation to numerous health-related outcomes. In general, previous research supports the direct effect of SOC on health, indicating that the stronger the SOC, the better the health. For instance, a strong SOC was associated with a 30% reduction in mortality from all causes. Yet, less is known about whether SOC actually buffers against stressful exposures and thus protects health as the theory suggests. The article summarizes the theory of SOC and reviews main empirical findings, and further elaborates on a theoretical model of SOC as a moderator of the effects of stressful situations on health.