Health Sociological Perspective

As stated by the World Health Organization (WHO), ‘health’ is defined as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO, 1948). The health and wellbeing of individuals is generally determined by their circumstances and environment, a phenomenon referred to as the social determinants of health. WHO describes the social determinants of health as:

The socio-medical model of health concentrates on the social factors that add to health and well-being in our society. It states that research indicates that death rates began to fall and life expectancy began to rise as improvements had been made in cleanness of water, the building of new council houses and

But over the past few decades, the definititon and concept of health has evolved to encompass more elements than just the physical well-being of a person. This is partly attributed to various researches and studies that have taken place around the world in the last 60 years. Already in 1948, the World Health Organization declared that health is “a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not

In this assignment I hope to effectively discuss and evaluate the patterns and trends associated with health and illness within the higher and lower social classes. I am going to do this by discussing and evaluating the following explanations and perspectives within sociology; Artefact explanation, Natural or Social Selection explanation, Cultural or Behavioural explanation and Materialist or Structuralist explanation.

Different researches do believe that there is a link between social class and health. It is a statistical impression and also it has been argued that there isn’t really a pattern in social class, age and peoples employment that has had an impact on people’s health inequalities.

The sociological approach to health and illness focuses on the social determinants of health and how this affects the health of society. It explores where we are on the socio-economic ladder and how this determines access to healthy food, a healthy lifestyle, education, income, accommodation, healthcare, transportation and good working conditions. This approach considers culture, the behaviour of individuals and the social structures we live in, with a belief that when treating health and illness if all these areas are considered and changes are made in conjunction with modern medicine then the health of society will be improved. “If the major determinants of health are social, so must be the remedies. Treating existing disease is urgent and will always receive high priority but should not be to the exclusion of taking action on the underlying social determinants of health” (Marmot, 2005: 1103).

Health is defined as the nonexistence of any illness or disease. Health puts an emphasis on any diagnosis or medical interventions that can treat any symptoms or medical condition. “Thus, when the term health care delivery is used, it actually refers to the delivery of medical care or illness care” (Shi & Singh, 2013, p.29). Medical sociologists’ view of health is the optimal capacity where a person is able to perform their daily tasks even if they suffer from certain health conditions. It is evident that health can be viewed in different ways.

This report will be investigating the various sociological perspectives on health as well as the models and definitions of health and ill health. These topics will assist in the understanding of how different people and different cultures react to ill health.

The definition of health and illness varies across societies due to their differing cultural, social and ethnic beliefs. The description associated with health and illness has been socially constructed so that the view of a medical profession is the most accurate. There is a general conception to think of health habits such as exercise and consuming a healthy diet when the terms health and illness are mentioned. However it is thought that the conditions that determine health changes are heavily based on one’s social conditions as it is seen that diseases occur in patterns. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) “health is a complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.” Social

Sociological study allows us to obtain a greater understanding of health and wellbeing and how factors within society can contribute to an individual’s health and wellbeing and the overall health and wellness of a society. Within this paper the social determinants of health will be examined and how Marxism theory and Structural Functionalism relate to these social determinants of health within society and the impact that they have. The Bio medical model is an important factor to consider when looking at these factors as it does play an important role in analysing illness in a biological process, although it does have limitations. Sociology is the study of social science. It analyses social systems within society and really focuses on social

Introduction According to World Health Organisation (WHO) (n.d.), ‘better health is central to human happiness and well-being’. However, it is not an easy task to maintain good health condition within populations. In the modern society, health practitioners cannot just focus on the pathologies and how to cure the disease but also social aspects of the patients related to it due to complexity of society. To understand society, many scientists have used a tool called ‘social theories’ to assist them.

WHO defines the term ‘health’ as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. Broadly, the determinants of health include aspects like Social and physical environment,education,employment,income and social status,culture,genetics,health and social services. In my view, society as a whole is an integration of various types of sub-groups of people that differ among themselves in these determinants. As health inculcates all factors determining it, it itself varies from person to person. For example, a family of four comprising a couple and two kids may be a variant in concept of health from other families and also among their own selves as every individual’s characteristics also form a basis in defining their state.

Health and illness are terms that are commonly interlinked, and offer a topic of discussion that involves different definitions and viewpoints. For example, health can refer to physical wellness or mental stability. On the other hand, it can be used in non-medical terms, including referring to the health of a country’s economy, or the health of the education system (Kirby, 1997). Due to the varying uses and complexity of the two words, multiple definitions have been established and criticized throughout the years, while multiple sociological perspectives attempted to create a model that accurately explains the concept of health and illness, such as Marxism and functionalism.

This essay will focus on the biomedical and social model of health. It will be critically discussing both models using supporting theories and highlighting the limitations of each. This essay will also discuss and analyse how both models relate to lay perspectives on health and illness.

On the other hand, health of a person does heavily depend on the traits of the society including standard of living and inequalities. In other words, not only one’s health will affect society but social issues have impact on individuals’ health too. In this essay, I will be focusing on how one’s health problems interrelate with the society.