American logics and population health

Hergesheimer, E. Map showing the distribution of the slave population of the southern states of the United States. Washington Henry S. Graham, 1861. Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/99447026/ American society, as with other societies, is built upon a set of underlying logics, including notions of hard work and meritocracy. These logics guide how American institutions are formed, interconnect, and operate over time and place. The various ways in which our institutions operate may result in variation in both health-promoting resources and stressful exposures. As people navigate their everyday lives within their contexts, they may engage in natural, adaptive, and vigilant thoughts and behaviors that, over time, may result in dysfunction of the biological stress response and poor health.