Concepts of Health and Disease in Individualistic and Collectivistic Cultures: A Cross-Cultural Study

Although in the literature of the study the concepts of health and disease have been considered deeply dependent on each other, it seems that to differentiate them , indexes are needed which make clear both similar cultural characteristics and different cultural characteristics .In this study, an attempt was made to provide a new description of the classification of the mental health and disease and to investigate the role of different feelings in differentiating health from disease in Iranian collectivistic culture and Swedish individualistic culture. In this study, of a group of Iranian students (n=۲۹۶) and of a group of Swedish students (n=۳۱۰), a sample of students were selected. Results of the study showed that in the Iranian society there was a relationship between the mental health and balance affect while in the Swedish society there was a more significant relationship between the mental health and positive affect. It seems that in the typology of healthy and sick people there are four flourishing, languishing, trouble and symptomatic groups and that the positive and balance affects can differentiate these groups.

Keywords:

Health , disease , individualistic culture , collectivistic culture , affects , سلامت , بیماری , فرهنگ فردگرا , فرهنگ جمع گرا , عواطف.