The Five Dimensions of Healthy Lifestyles

Lifestyle is the attitudes, interests, behaviors, and behavioral orientations of an establishment, person, group, or society. The word was originated by Austrian psychiatrist Alfred Adler in his” 1929 book, The Case of Miss R.” with the implied meaning of “the basic nature of a human being as established very early in life”. This concept has since become the basic theoretical framework of social theory, counseling, and practice across the discipline, as well as within individual households and groups.

Research on human needs and interests since the time of Placental man has shown that two broad elements exist in all people: a need to procreate, and an interest in leisure. These need and interest are present in all individuals, but it has been noted that over the course of history, people in different countries have developed various lifestyles based on these needs and interests. Some lifestyles are more successful than others in sustaining human societies and have been passed down from generation to generation, while other lifestyles have been replaced over time by more healthy, active lifestyles such as those practiced by the ancestors of most Westerners. Based on findings in anthropology, archeology, sociology, psychological, developmental psychology, health science, and family therapy, there are five dimensions of healthy lifestyles. These are:

The five dimensions of healthy lifestyle content are: active life, social media interaction, harmony, and security. Active life, or “lifestyle content” is composed of the typical American lifestyle including activities like: hiking, bicycling, hunting, camping, playing in the yard with children, etc. Social media interaction, which can be done through Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, email, texting, blogging, and other social media websites, is comprised of interacting socially with others. The need for social media interaction has increased with the increase in the number of individuals who spend time on the internet, both for personal and professional purposes. Harmony is the need for a balance between personal and professional life, and security is the need for emotional fulfillment and physical security.