In the Faculty Corner of the September 2005 issue of The Scholar-Practitioner, Dr. Morton Wagenfeld of our Health and Public Health faculty wrote about salutogenesis, literally “the origins of health,” a theory developed by Anton Antonovsky in the early 1990s. As stated in the article, “The salutogenic model is embodied in the concept of sense of coherence (SOC). SOC is an enduring, though dynamic feature of personality that views the world as manageable, meaningful, and predictable.”

For more details, read the article at http://www.WaldenU.edu/c/
Students/CurrentStudents_4301.htm.

In response to that article, Deidre Finnegan from Ireland writes:

“I am a final-year psychology student in Trinity College Dublin. I am carrying out my final-year project on Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence as a mediator between cultural identity and anxiety, looking at whether there is more psychological value in an intolerant society.... I have been unable to track down the marking scheme for the 29 version of the scale and am unsure which questions relate to which constructs. I would be extremely grateful if you had any information relating to this that might help.”

In a similar request, Aisling Burke writes:

“I would be very grateful if you could direct me to locating the 29-item version of the SOC scale. I am currently studying for my M.A. in forensic psychology and wish to use this questionnaire; however, I am having great difficulty in retrieving it.”

Dr. Wagenfeld responds:

 “Thanks for your notes. It's gratifying to learn that the SOC has made such an international impact. As I pointed out in my piece, there are very few instruments in the social sciences that can make such a claim. The source for the scale is Antonovsky’s Unraveling the Mystery of Health: How People Manage Stress and Stay Well, published in 1987 by Jossey Bass Social and Behavioral Science Series. I hope that this has been of some help. Please feel free to contact me again if the need arises. Your study sounds fascinating, and I'd be interested to hear about your findings.”

“I am pleased to find someone who is interested in salutogenesis!! I am working on my Ph.D. at Kent State (Ohio) in counselor education and supervision. I'm doing my literature review on salutogenesis, Antonovsky, spirituality, and quality of life. I understand that Dr. Gallagher at Kent has done some work on salutogenesis some time ago. Wondering if you know of anyone else who is interested?? I have found a lot of info from all over the world, but not much in the U.S. My background: I am licensed as a professional clinical counselor, an R.N., and a nursing home administrator, so I have an interest in health care. I also want to do some research on fortigenesis. Thank you for your consideration.”

Dr. Wagenfeld replies:

“By coincidence, Tim Gallagher did his doctoral dissertation with me at WMU on an international SOC project. I can't think of anyone more appropriate (and local!) to talk to about salutogenesis. I've had a number of students here at Walden who have done dissertations using the concept. Two you might want to contact are Dr. Norma Bowe (nbowe@kean.edu) and Dr. Barbara Grota (bgrota@rwu.edu). Good luck!”

Note: Dissertation abstracts by these Walden alumnae are in the September 2005 issue of The Scholar-Practitioner, which can be found at http://www.WaldenU.edu/c/Students/CurrentStudents_4302.htm. Dr. Wagenfeld can be reached at mwagenfe@waldenu.edu.

Keep in mind that authors do have their email addresses noted in their articles. We encourage you to email your questions to them directly or to me, the facilitator of the dialogue at mcaputi@waldenu.edu. In turn, I will make sure your questions are answered. Remember, you have an open invitation to join the dialogue.