The concept of lifestyle is an important and complex subject that has been investigated by many disciplines in the social sciences. Its main aim is to understand the personal, cultural, and behavioural patterns that constitute an individual’s way of life. Throughout the years, different theories on this topic have been proposed and analysed. This article presents a critical review of the main conceptualisations of lifestyle, trying to clarify their strengths and weaknesses. It also highlights some of the future research perspectives on this concept.
The first interpretation of lifestyle focuses on its internal dimension. According to this view, lifestyle is a personal framework of guiding values and principles that define the way an individual relates to the world. It is thought that these values and principles, which are developed during childhood, form the personality of an individual and guide their reactions and behaviour. This approach was originally proposed by Alfred Adler, who defined the lifestyle as a style of personality, and it is subsequently reinterpreted in the work of Milton Rokeach, Arnold Mitchell, Lynn R Kahle, and other sociopsychologists.
Another interpretation focuses on the external dimension of lifestyle, which considers it as a consequence and expression of the person’s belonging to certain groups or social classes. This idea is a fundamental component of the sociological theories of Georg Simmel, who analyses the processes that generate and define lifestyles; it is also the basis for the concepts of identity, identification, differentiation, and recognition proposed by Pierre Bourdieu.
A third interpretation focuses on the temporal dimension of lifestyle, which aims to analyse the evolution of these characteristics through time. The question of whether these traits are stable over time is a key point of this analysis. This is the approach taken by the theories of Adler, Weber, and Bourdieu.
In the last decades, the concept of lifestyle has been increasingly used in health psychology. This new application of the concept is related to a growing concern about the influence of lifestyle on people’s health status. According to this idea, the pursuit of healthy habits is a way to avoid diseases and improve well-being.
However, the use of the concept of lifestyle in health is a controversial issue. A lot of criticism has been aimed at it because of its lack of validity and scientific support. In addition, the way it is often used in the sociomedical context is also problematic.
For this reason, it is important to analyse and compare the various concepts and definitions of lifestyle in order to propose a more valid theoretical model for understanding health practices. This can contribute to the development of more precise and meaningful research and intervention models. It may also help to clarify the concept of healthy lifestyles and to distinguish them from the merely unhealthy ones. The author believes that this is the only way to improve the current state of knowledge on the subject. A better understanding of this construct will allow for a more complete and effective communication on it.