Health in the light of a critical health psychology

A critical health psychology requires theoretical reflection on its basic object, health. In this article, I first of all consider health as understood by the phenomenological tradition. Health from this perspective is not an objective quality, but a way of living, of being-in-the-world. Contrasted with being-healthy is standardized health, that is, health defined medically and economically. Standardized health is an objectifiable quality. However, it is also the contemporary way of being healthy, so it is more than simply an objectification. Examined critically, standardized health has two major limitations, counterproductivity and a sacrifice of fantasies of wholeness. The paper concludes with recommendations for a critical health psychology: not to promote standardized health, and to concentrate on the ends or purposes of the pursuit of health