THE PHENOMENON OF SELF-PRESERVATION IN THE CONTEXT OF HEALTH: PHILOSOPHICAL-ANTHROPOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL-HISTORICAL DIMENSIONS

Abstract

This article explores the phenomenon of human self-preservation in its philosophical-anthropological, cultural-historical, ontological, and psychological dimensions. It demonstrates that this concept has historically evolved from the idea of a survival instinct to a contemporary interdisciplinary understanding of self-preservation as a multidimensional system for sustaining life, personal integrity, meaning-related resilience, and the capacity for self-regulation. It is argued that self-preservation is not limited to biological survival alone, but also encompasses the preservation of the self, inner balance, social connectedness, culturally mediated modes of behavior, and meaning-in-life orientations. The article analyzes the principal philosophical approaches to the interpretation of self-preservation, ranging from ancient conceptions, in which it was associated with maintaining one’s own nature and inner coherence, to modern ideas, in which this phenomenon acquires anthropological, ethical, and socio-political significance. It is established that in existential ontology and twentieth-century philosophical anthropology, self-preservation appears as a condition for sustaining human presence in the world, for enduring threats, uncertainty, and limit situations, and for preserving the authenticity of one’s existence. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between self-preservation and the category of being, since its deeper meaning is revealed precisely through being-in-the-world, embodiment, freedom, responsibility, and meaning-making. It is generalized that in contemporary cultural-historical and psychological approaches, self-preservation should be understood as a multidimensional phenomenon that integrates adaptation, self-control, the symbolic ordering of experience, identity construction, the restoration of meaning, and the capacity for resilience. It is demonstrated that under conditions of risk, social instability, and existential challenges, self-preservation is not merely a way of staying alive, but also a way of remaining oneself, maintaining the continuity of one’s being, and preserving the possibility of meaningful action. It is emphasized that selfpreservation ensures not only adaptation, but also the meaningful continuity of human life in the world.