an interview with Michael Peterson

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Don: What term do you now favor for what we promote? Do you still like the word "wellness?" Whether wellness or something else, how do you define or explain this concept that you embrace and promote as passionately as I do?

Dr. Peterson: The term wellness has been much maligned over the past decade. It is associated with anything from exercise and nutrition, to herbalists and tree huggers. It has been used more as a marketing term than a term that conveys sound, scientifically based, health behavioral practices. Wellness is in the eye of the beholder, and is believed achievable by countless methods, many of which are contradictory. An African witch doctor is just as much a wellness promoter as a health promotion specialist from this country. Priests, rabbis, exercise physiologists, nutritionists, psychologists, sociologists, nurses, health policy experts, and even politicians can all claim that they are for and promote wellness.

The problem with the term is that it is on the same plane as love, motherhood and peace. It seems to have become more of a platitude, and thus has lost specificity of purpose and meaning. It has become more of a feeling than a goal. Perhaps this is an occupational anomaly or hazard. But, if we claim to promote everything good and positive, what can we really say that we are effective at what we do? The Jack-of-all-trades, but master of none phenomenon is a danger of which we should be circumspect.

What term do I promote? I favor quality of life, and more specifically, quality of work life, which is based upon organizational and employee health, organizational culture, systems, and behaviors. These are my research pursuits; I leave the rest to others.

Those in the wellness field are really in the life field, for we promote quality of life. Behaviors, thoughts, attitudes, and perceptions all deal with life. We establish health-related tenets and ideals that we believe promote health from a bio-psychosocial perspective.

Don: What are your ideas about the realities of workplace culture? I understand your views are quite different from our friend Judd Allen's, based upon your research and experience in the field.

Dr. Peterson: The problem with our field is that we have traditionally taken a very provincial approach to workplace culture. Many wellness-related organizations promote the notion that if we can create a culture that promotes and supports healthy lifestyle behaviors, employees will be happier and healthier. The idea is that those who exercise, eat right, learn to manage stress, and so on are more productive, happier, and healthier. This is the basic assumption behind traditional worksite health promotion programs. The problem is that there is not sound evidence to substantiate this view.

Research conducted here and in Europe, Canada, and Australia has revealed a far different phenomenon. Specifically, the best predictor of employee well-being is the psychosocial work environment. In other words, the way jobs are designed and the context in which people work have the greatest impact on both the health of the organization and the health of the employee. The notions that if we somehow make people engage in healthy lifestyle behaviors they will be happier at work and the company will save money in health care costs, and become more competitive and profitable, are not supported.

It is disturbing that even our professional organizations still tout this line in the face of contrary evidence. If you have a draconian boss, or if you have constant deadlines and workload pressures, exercising every day is not going to ameliorate the problems you face. In fact, it may contribute to more ill-health. For example, time taken to exercise at work may be viewed as not taking your job seriously, or not working as hard as your co-workers. Subsequently, you may receive more grief from management, and when promotions or retention decisions are made you may get the short end of the stick, leading to more distress, discomfort, and ill-health. Exercising does not make your boss a humanitarian, your workload decrease, or change corporate job performance expectations.

Another problem I have with traditional wellness-related approaches to workplace culture is the one-size fits all thinking of the culture systems promoters. The assumption that promoting healthy behaviors at work is the best way to improve health is not true for all individuals. Those of us in the occupational health psychology field believe that how work is organized can have a profound impact upon health, and more importantly, upon the underlying culture that determines how people behave at work, how jobs are designed, how people relate to one another, etc.

Don: In my interviews with Grant Donovan and Bill Hettler, criticisms of the National Wellness Conference were brought up and discussed. You have been at these annual events -- what is your take on these matters?

Dr. Peterson: My initial experiences with the National Wellness Conference (NWC) were very positive. There were excellent presentations that allowed for frank discussion, or provided well-researched information, as well as a portion that provided opportunity through humor and levity to question assumptions about health and well-being.

However, as the NWC progressed through the 1990's, it became less open for discussion and changed from promoting wellness as a tangible goal, to promoting wellness as an emotion or feeling. The keynote speakers became more heavily political and ideological than factual and substantive. Not that the latter are better, but the ideologues tended to spout opinion without proof. I am also concerned that some presenters (and popular one's at that) are conveying ideas that contradict the scientific literature. Differences of opinion are never a concern if the presenter can provide proof, but often only opinions based on feelings are rendered. Given that many NWC-goers are new to the field, I’m concerned that misinformation could set them up for failure, and damage the field.

Overall, however, I still like the conference and I encourage my graduate students to attend. But, I do warn them to keep open a critical eye. Many of the presenters do an excellent job and provide helpful program development tips and information. I would encourage the NWC planners, who do us a great service, to balance the idealists with the realists in terms of providing equal time in major presentation slots.

Don: As a university professor who teaches wellness-related courses, what are your thoughts on the extent of political correctness on campuses?

Dr. Peterson: Political correctness is alive and well on most college campuses in this country, not to mention many other countries as well. The recent book entitled The Shadow University provides an excellent discussion on this issue. In terms of wellness, a recent book entitled PC MD: Political Correctness in Medicine provides an excellent expose. This book shows how the political correctness movement has actually harmed those whom it was designed to help.

PC has prevented frank and honest discussion on health-related issues of importance to all people. College campuses are supposed to be based on the principle of free speech and discussion of opposing opinions. I believe all of us need to a realistic view of the impact of political correctness. The fact that we threaten people with job loss, fines, forced sensitivity training, and prosecution for saying what they think is ludicrous.

It is also a threat to our basic freedoms. Political correctness by its very nature seeks to censor and control thoughts and behaviors. It prohibits freedom while professing to enhance well-being. From a wellness perspective, freedom is truly the most health-promoting factor of life. In our country, we often take this freedom for granted. My view is we have not paid enough attention to the gradual assault on our freedoms. I often wonder why so many Americans stand idly while this occurs. Totalitarianism in the form of thought and behavior control does much to promote ill-health and animosity between people.

Don: What can you tell us about the job market for graduates of wellness-related programs such as your own at the University of Delaware (UD)?

Dr. Peterson: Right now it’s favorable, even in the economic downturn. Because UD is located in the midst of major urban centers, the job market usually stays good. Graduates who have skills in behavioral change, assessment, and programming are in demand. We also see a growing job market among the aging baby boomers, and in public health, where there appears to be a shift from disease tracking and management to health promotion.

Don: What are your own professional and other passions?

Dr. Peterson: Professionally, I will continue to work in the area of workplace culture and health and occupational health psychology. Personally, whitewater kayaking is something I am pursuing with enthusiastic ambition.

Don: How can visitors to SeekWellness learn more about your work?

Dr. Peterson: I have developed a cultural assessment tool called the Strategic Organizational Management Index (or STORM Index) that measures workplace culture and its impact on organizational and employee health. You can learn more about the Index at: http://www.stormindex.com

March 2001