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Towards Fortigenesis and Fortology: An Informed Essay

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Book cover Well-Being Research in South Africa

Part of the book series: Cross-Cultural Advancements in Positive Psychology ((CAPP,volume 4))

Abstract

Fortigenesis, referring to the origins of strength, is an extension of Antonovsky’s construct of salutogenesis. Fortigenesis is supported by resiling, as an active process. Resiling, in turn, may be strengthened by a wide range of characteristics and behaviors, among which sense of coherence, general psychosocial well-being, self-efficacy, and social support will be considered briefly. As girding the psychological variables, some genetic and cultural aspects will be mentioned as well. It is assumed that with fortigenesis, one is dealing with a system (of systems), characterized by complexity and emergence—where everything interacts with everything else.

Dedicated with deep gratitude to Rita Kellerman, who planted a seed in about 1982, which grew into fortigenesis, but also for nurturing me and my work into mature age. Thank you, Malan Heyns, Bok Marais, Pieter Strümpfer, and two reviewers, for comments on earlier drafts.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Lifespan development is only referred to. Five/Six-factor personality variables are denied the attention they deserve, but see Bogg and Roberts (2004), Friedman and Martin (2011), and Kern and Friedman (2011).

  2. 2.

    Emeritus Professor R.A. Whitaker, Department of Classics, University of Cape Town, suggested this term.

  3. 3.

    A search on Google Scholar (8 June 201l) referred to “about 170” references to fortigenesis found. Apart from self-references, about 60 journal or PDF articles were found published in South Africa, 47 references to South African doctoral or masters theses, 20 references to journal articles and three dissertations from abroad.

  4. 4.

    I surmise that Antonovsky probably wrote “health ease/dis-ease”, this way around, under the influence of Hebrew writing from right to left; I prefer to reverse the direction, in view of the positive in the Greek-Roman tradition usually being represented on the right.

  5. 5.

    This issue elicited responses from five critics, on moral and other grounds, see: American Psychologist, 2011, 66 (7), 641–645. Seligman’s rejoinder appeared on pp. 646–647.

  6. 6.

    Karl Menninger (Menninger, Mayman, & Pruyser, 1963, pp. 406–409) used the colorful expression of “weller than well” to describe something of the kind.

  7. 7.

    This meaning is reflected in words in other languages too, such as, in the Afrikaans noun veerkrag (strength to bounce back) and verb terugveer (bounce back). In Zulu bekezela literally means springing up and down like a pliable pole, or more generally to being forbearing, long-suffering, and patient in time of trouble. “Bekezela” was used as a message of encouragement in the days of the Struggle against Apartheid.

  8. 8.

    Neria, DiGrande, and Adams (2011), by implication, indicated a limitation of these findings. They excluded from their review studies that reported an incomplete assessment of PTSD, such as two or three symptoms. They applied the inclusion rules of a strict clinical assessment, following the DSM of Mental Disorders (4th ed., rev.), also excluding persons with a previous history of PTSD.

  9. 9.

    Hariri and Brown (2006), reported that, in Caucasians, the frequencies of these genotypes are approximately l6 % S/S, 48 % S/L, and 36 % L/L.

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  1. Psychology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Deodandus J. W. Strümpfer

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Correspondence to Deodandus J. W. Strümpfer .

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  1. The Africa Unit for Transdis. Health, Research, North-West University:, School of Psychosoc. Behav. Scs. and, Potchefstroom Campus, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa

    Marié P. Wissing

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Strümpfer, D.J.W. (2013). Towards Fortigenesis and Fortology: An Informed Essay. In: Wissing, M. (eds) Well-Being Research in South Africa. Cross-Cultural Advancements in Positive Psychology, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6368-5_2

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