...This brief abstract is a concept note on the subject of sociology of health and illness. It is going to give a brief sketch background of medical sociology, highlight various definitions of what is health, illness and how the production, distribution and patterns of diseases are influenced by the context in which they occur. The biomedical understanding of health and illness was entirely in the context of bacteriology and immunology dominated the subject of heath care systems for centuries. The history of medical sociology began in the 1800 with extensive contributions of Virchow to social medicine (Virchow, 1864). The resurgence of medical sociology and its institutionalization emerged in the 1960s and 1970s following the deficiencies of biomedicine to account various diseases which came about on the eve of industrialization and urbanization. Some diseases have their roots in the economic, social, cultural, political and environmental context. It is in these backdrops among other reasons that the sociology of health and illness gained recognition and institutionalization. Medical sociology did not discredit biomedical explanations and practice but have attributed that production, patterns, distribution and reproduction of health and illness is socially constructed (Waitzkin et al., 2001; Foucault, 1977; White, 2006). Sociology of health and Illness uses sociological perspectives such as the Sick role (Parsons, 1951), historical materialist approaches (Engels, 1844/1973), interactionist...
Words: 841 - Pages: 4
...Compare and contrast the four main models of health in the Sociology of Health literature, and explain how each of them has influenced our understanding of the concept of health and well-being. Health is a term that is commonly debated and the definition varies from one profession to another and is a controversial term. The World Health Organisation describes health as: “A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO, 1948) This definition was formulated in 1948 and at the time was a breakthrough in the health care sector and was finally seen as a positive definition of health, rather than negative. Most definition concentrated on disease and illness. There are some criticisms that state that the model describes health as a ‘state’ rather than a process and does not put any certain boundaries on what is considered “health”. In healthcare, models are used to diagnose and explain an individual’s health. There are four main models that dominate the health care profession which are the biomedical model, social model, biopsychosocial model and the holistic model. In this essay I will discuss all four models by looking at their advantages and limitations in health care. The biomedical model is a dominant model of disease in contemporary medicine and was devised by medical scientists for the study of disease. It was created as a scientific model therefor involved a set of scientific assumptions and rules. Biomedicine...
Words: 2054 - Pages: 9
...illness for health workers. Let’s start with some questions … o Why do people stop taking antibiotics before they have finished the packet? o Why do people smoke even when they know its unhealthy? o Why are women more likely to be diagnosed with depression than men? o Why are poor people sicker than rich people? o Why do people seek complementary and alternative remedies rather than going to the doctor? o Why do migrants to Australia have more accidents at work? o Why is there a 15‐20 year life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non‐Indigenous Australians? 2 2/17/2016 What is sociology? “The study of society” Links between individual lives & social forces Systematic patterns in groups of people – Behaviour – Meanings – Beliefs How do aspects of social life influence others? How does the distribution of power affect social life? Sociology offers: A ‘second opinion’ about common sense ideas...
Words: 1833 - Pages: 8
...Why Study Sociology? What is sociology? Sociology is the scientific study of human social relationships and structures. Like biologists and other natural scientists, sociologists work by sets of rules through which they evaluate the arguments and evidence generated by empirical research. This doesn't mean sociological work is either narrow or lacking in practical significance. Our techniques range from computer simulation through survey research to participant observation of urban street corner life. Styles among sociologists vary from the scientific to the humanistic, from the applied to the theoretical. Sociology involves the observation and explanation of human behavior in a wide variety of areas. In addition to the specialties of social psychology, political sociology, and mathematical sociology, which have obvious ties to other social sciences, sociologists study such things as race relations, social stratification, the family, the community, ethnic minorities, sex roles, drugs, crime, population, leisure, sport, aging, mass media, developing nations, organizational structure, communication in small groups and in dyads. Is sociology for you? If you are actively concerned about the world you live in and want to do something constructive and useful in it - whether in law, business, education, medicine, urban or rural planning, etc. sociology provides our best means for understanding how "the system" works. Whether you want to change society radically, modify it, preserve...
Words: 614 - Pages: 3
...Theories of Biomedicine Sociology is the study of human interaction and organisation of society; it is often areas which are problematized in need of provision. It can be explained that health and illness are simply biological descriptions of the state of our bodies. The structures of the body have been mapped out through genetics. This is ever closer inspection of the body or as Foucault 1977 would suggest through this ‘medical gaze’ which has brought considerable power to the medical profession. The sociology of health and illness is concerned with the social origins of and influence on disease rather than exploring its organic manifestation in individual bodies. The sociology of medicine is concerned with exploring the social, historical and cultural reasons for the rise of medicine particularly the bio-medicine model in the definition and treatment of illness. A more refined version of this common sense view underlies the long standing bio-medical model of disease based on the following assumptions. Firstly that disease is an organic condition and non-organic factors associated with the human mind are considered unimportant or are ignored altogether in the search for biological causes of pathological symptoms. Secondly that disease is a temporarily an organic state that can be eradicated and cured by medical intervention. Disease is experienced by a sick individual who then becomes the object of treatment. Disease is therefore treated after the symptoms appear and...
Words: 990 - Pages: 4
...– Sociological Perspectives on Health and Illness Gray, D. (2006) Health Sociology: An Australian Perspective, Sydney: Pearson (Chapter 2: Theoretical Approaches to Health and Illness). http://www.csu.edu.au/division/library/ereserve/pdf/gray-d1.pdf Topic 4 – The Australian Health Care System and Medical Dominance Allsop, J. (2006) ‘Medical Dominance in a Changing World: The UK Case’, Health Sociology Review, 15(5): 444-457. http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/203159309/1366604FAEF6B748988/5?accountid=10344 Benoit, C., Zadoroznyj, M., Hallgrimsdottir, H., Treloar, A. and Taylor, K. (2010) ‘Medical Dominance and Neoliberalisation in Maternal Care Provision: The Evidence from Canda and Australia, Social Science and Medicine, 71: 475-481. http://ac.els-cdn.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/S027795361000314X/1-s2.0-S027795361000314X-main.pdf?_tid=f431c118-1bdd-11e2-8e5b-00000aab0f26&acdnat=1350865267_a1391f139d0114a9d79046d28e270495 Topic 5 – Healthcare Workers: Nursing and Allied Health Speed, S. and Luker, K.A. (2006) ‘Getting a Visit: How District Nurses and General Practitioners “Organise” Each Other in Primary Care’, Sociology of Health and Illness, 28(7): 883-902. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9566.2006.00511.x/pdf Di Luzio, G. (2008) ‘Medical Dominance and Strategic Action: The Fields of Nursing and Psychotherapy in the German Health Care System, Sociology of Health and Illness, 30(7): 1022-1038. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy...
Words: 870 - Pages: 4
...Sociology of Health Author’s Name Institution’s Affiliation Sociology of Health The social perspective in sociology of health explains the society's view concerning health. It is a discipline that describes an illness using social factors present in daily activities of life. Sociologists show how wellness and disease, the treatment and explanation of illness production in a social organization can be understood differently from a medical perspective of nature, biology, and lifestyle in an attempt of explaining sickness (Bahar, 2013). It is a significant facet of interpreting biological information that shows the creation of health and disease in a political, social, and cultural environment. In describing various social phenomena, sociologists examine how social life impacts morbidity and mortality rates and how it alternatively influences the society. Medical sociology uses sociological theory to explain the relationship between social factors and health to define this issue and its systems (Amzat & Razum, 2014). Amzat and Razum (2014) demonstrate that it tends to separate nature from the community. It means that it illustrates how scientific knowledge mediates social relations. Moreover, medical sociology shows how the technical realm of medical practice is inconsistent with social processes in nature. It is a claim of understanding constructivism through an objective in natural science. Various studies identify the inconsistencies between current medical practice...
Words: 2703 - Pages: 11
...Sociology Health and Illness The medical definition of health is: the state of being whole and free from physical and mental disease or pain, so that all the parts of the body carry on their proper function". This is a negative definition where health is defined as to be free from pain and discomfort. (Critchley, 1978, p.784). The World Health Organisation (WHO) definition of health (1947), states that “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. This is a positive definition which defines health as being fit and able to undertake reasonable task. The criticisms are that the definition deals with “a state rather than a process” and puts no boundaries on what is considered as ‘health’. (Macionis J. et al 2012 p. 741) The conditions recognised as illnesses differ quite significantly from one society to another. Illness is thought to be any obvious departure from a sickness that is subject to medical treatment. There is difference of opinion in most people mind between who think they are ill or and those who are really ill. In modern society doctors have the role of deciding who is truly ill. If the doctor decides that a person is ill then a series of benefits will follow either formal or informal. Formal help is where the doctor will give medical help such as treatment or time off work or college. Whereas informal help is like giving sympathy or release the ill person from household duties...
Words: 1885 - Pages: 8
...SCIENCE A + U-Architecture And Urbanism ISI ARTS & HUMANITIES A Contrario IBSS Aaa-Arbeiten Aus Anglistik Und Amerikanistik ISI ARTS & HUMANITIES Aaohn Journal ISI SCIENCE Aaohn Journal ISI SOC SCIENCE Aapg Bulletin ISI SCIENCE Aaps Journal ISI SCIENCE Aaps Pharmscitech ISI SCIENCE Aatcc Review ISI SCIENCE Abacus: Journal Of Accounting, Finance And Business Studies IBSS Abacus-A Journal Of Accounting Finance And Business StudiesISI SOC SCIENCE Abdominal Imaging ISI SCIENCE Abhandlungen Aus Dem Mathematischen Seminar Der UniversISI SCIENCE Abstract And Applied Analysis ISI SCIENCE Abstracts Of Papers Of The American Chemical Society ISI SCIENCE Academia-Revista Latinoamericana De Administracion ISI SOC SCIENCE Academic Emergency Medicine ISI SCIENCE Academic Medicine ISI SCIENCE Academic Pediatrics ISI SCIENCE Academic Psychiatry ISI SOC SCIENCE Academic Radiology ISI SCIENCE Academy Of Management Annals ISI SOC SCIENCE Academy Of Management Journal ISI SOC SCIENCE Academy Of Management Journal IBSS Academy Of Management Learning & Education ISI SOC SCIENCE Academy Of Management Perspectives ISI SOC SCIENCE Academy Of Management Perspectives IBSS Academy Of Management Review ISI SOC SCIENCE Academy Of Management Review IBSS Academy Of Marketing Science Review IBSS Acadiensis ISI ARTS & HUMANITIES Acadiensis: Journal Of The History Of The Atlantic Region IBSS Accident Analysis And Prevention ISI SOC SCIENCE Accountability In Research-Policies And Quality Assurance ISI SCIENCE Accounting...
Words: 151197 - Pages: 605
...Term Paper On Disciplines that Contribute to Organizational Behavior Prepared by – Shambhavi Reg. no. 1220759 Class: Ist MBA – V Date : 9th July, 2012 Abstract: This study covers different disciplines that affect the discipline of organizational behavior. Disciplines like psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc are self acclaimed disciplines that contribute to the study of organizational behavior and they determine how an individual would behave in a scenario. It also includes mention of a case study to determine corporate psychological defenses, which explains how organizations try to avoid charges even if it’s their fault. This term paper discusses how different attributes of organizational behavior are affected by disciplines of different nature. Key words: Interdisciplinary, Organizational Behavior, Psychology, Sociology, Social Psychology, Anthropology, Management, Political Science, Medicine. 1 Introduction: 1. Meaning & Definitions: Organizational Behavior is a systematic study of the actions and attitudes that people exhibit within organizations, according to P G Aquinas (2006). This study is basically concerned with the psychosocial, interpersonal, and behavioral dynamics in organizations. The term ‘Organizational behavior’ is defined by Stephen P Robbins as “a field of study that investigates the impact of individuals, groups and structures on behavior within organizations for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving on Organization’s...
Words: 2179 - Pages: 9
...International Journal of Medical Sociology and Anthropology ISSN: 2546-9763 Vol. 2 (2), pp. 066-075, February, 2013. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals Review Review on Medicalisation: A critical appraisal with special reference to India Zulufkar Ahmad Khanday Department of Sociology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, 202002, India. E-mail: k.zulufkar.amu@gmail.com, Tel.: 8171286053 Accepted 10 December, 2013 The concept of medicalization emerged from the intellectual and social turmoil of the 1950s and 1960s as a critique of medicine as authoritarian and the expansion of its conceptual model to the analysis of social ills and attendant policy. “Medicalization” refers the process by which non-medical problems become defined and treated as medical problems, usually in terms of illness and disorders”. This review is based mainly on three objectives; (a) first is to explain the nature of medicalization- i.e. what medicalization actually is and why there is need of de-medicalization, (b) second is to explain the how the medicalization has negative effects on the health of people- i.e. ‘the medical establishment has become a major threat to health’ and providing a dossier of medicine’s adverse effects – the wrongs and harms it has done – through processes of clinical, social and cultural ‘iatrogenesis’ or doctor-induced conditions, and finally (c) third is to explain the impact of the...
Words: 7802 - Pages: 32
...so great to look at, when everyone’s got them, and if they don’t, they can buy some at your local doctor’s office. So why do people buy them? And is bigger the better? There really isn’t an answer to that question because they are both very broad topics and constantly changing. We can try and interpret these answers with social norms which vary in different cultures, or we can look at research and biology and try and answer the questions scientifically. Either approach will lead you to controversy because over time there purpose in life has changed significantly. And there are debates all over the world today about how and when should breasts be exposed. Boobs in the big picture are an attraction for men and feature for women. Sociology: Humans are obsessed with women’s breasts and since the beginning of man the breast has been the first source of nourishment and comfort. It is innate for a human of any age to be attracted to breasts and we are conditioned to get pleasure from...
Words: 2668 - Pages: 11
...In this essay, my aims are to explain the definition of health, contrasted with a positive definition, such as that provided by the ‘World Health Organisation' (WHO) in 1974, with its positive and negative concept of health and the definition of disease and its connection to the social model. It will then be followed by the study of Mildred Blaxter (1990). I will also be explaining the definition of the ‘sick role' which was introduced by Talcott Parsons, with its positive and negative effects on the society. Following by an explanation of the doctor-patient relationship with the theory of the functionalist approach by Barber (1963) and by also critically evaluating ways in which the medical profession exercises social control as well as their contribution to ill health and their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, I will analyse the key issues relating to the political economy of the health industry. Over the year's sociologist have tried to come up with a good definition of health, however, they were all elusive. According to the ‘World Health Organisations' (WHO) (1946), good health meant "Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" its definition was seen as a positive concept as it focused not only on being free from any diseases but it emphasised in a mixture of physical, mental, emotional and social well-being, this was seen to be so complete but yet unachievable. The negative concept of health...
Words: 2525 - Pages: 11
...of value-free theories that uniquely explain reality. After the scientists in the early 20th century started overhauling their theories in a big way, it was granted that the value-free theories of science that explain reality may do so only partially at a given time, but as science progresses, its theories explain more and more of reality and the process converges towards the ‘ultimate’, ‘unique’ law that explains everything. Committed to this idealist picture of a unique value free science, the philosophy of science is reduced to a set of attempts at finding the epistemological criterion, internal to science, that allows the scientist, unencumbered by any extraneous considerations, to choose the true theory out of a competing set; the sociology of science is reduced to writing down the set of social norms, self-imposed by the scientific community, which ensure that the technical criterion that guarantees the selection of the ‘true’ theory is strictly adhered to and the historiography of science is reduced to writing a catalogue of the achievements of modern science, discovering the contributions made by more ancient sciences to the modern science and , more...
Words: 4795 - Pages: 20
...Jessie Reeder DE Sociology Spring 2011 Herbert Spencer There are numerous people who study sociology in our world. One of the most famous is Herbert Spencer. Herbert Spencer’s early life influenced a lot of his accomplishments. Not only did he study the subject of sociology, but he wrote several books stating his views and opinions on this subject as well as biology, ethics, and politics. Spencer made a lot of contributions to the realms of sociology that continues to appear in studies today. Born in the Victorian Era in April 27, 1820, Herbert Spencer was the only one of his 9 brothers and sisters to survive infancy. Back then, not many successful medicines and treatments had been created so it was not uncommon for this to happen among masses of families. His parents were Methodist Dissenters and had Quaker sympathies. This means that he refused parts of the Methodist religion and practiced certain Quaker qualities. His father was a school teacher with extremely strong views on individualism, anti-clerical, and anti-establishment which had a massive influence on Herbert Spencer, himself. He was almost as equally influenced by his Uncle Thomas’s Benthamite radical views. His uncle Thomas is best known for his advocacy of utilitarianism which showed up all over Spencer’s writings. Growing up, Spencer immediately began resisting authority and trying his independence which foreshadows how he responds to things later in his life (William Sweet). From 1848 to...
Words: 915 - Pages: 4
