internality

The concept of the disease situation can be considered as interdisciplinary because it has both a bodily and social, objective and subjective context. The physical components of the disease form a limitation of the physical and social possibilities of the patient. In the social sense, the disease situation reflects a different degree of a loss of professional status, social roles, in particular, forming the role of a person to be cared for.

Systemic analysis in medical psychology involves the study of the impact of both physical and social restrictions (disability) on the psyche of the patient and economic deprivation. To overcome the disease situation psychologically, the patient has to be ready for difficult life situations, which also include situations of failure. A sick person needs objective and subjective external support both of the family and other people in order to keep his or her active life position, especially if the person has a disability.

The problem of adaptation to difficult life situations is crucial for the current period of society development. The study of family coping as a support mechanism makes it possible to expand the understanding of adaptation mechanisms. The question of joint coping is connected with characteristics of social interaction, role behavior, degree of internality of the person, overcoming strategies. Cognition-based, emotion-based and behavior-based joint copings are distinguished.