The Sociological Perceptions Of Health And Illness

There are a lot of different definitions of health and ill health all of which are socially constructed; meaning that social issues usually influence a new theory or alter an old definition of health. In this section I will be analysing different definitions of health and ill health.

The biomedical model relies on several assumptions including the concept of mind body dualism with the mind and body seen as separate entities and accepting that they can be treated separately. The body itself was viewed as machine with a broken part that could be repaired or healed by an expert. There is a belief that a disease has its origin in a specific and knowable cause. The sick body can be examined, treated and repaired without taking other factors into consideration. The doctor holds a detached view of the patient and treats the body in isolation without considering other reasons that contribute to the condition.

Sociology: Some guiding principles Social exploration of health – Group & individual experiences – Unique, individual factors of health/illness BUT also shared, social  factors Medical knowledge, practice, & technology  – Often constructed as THE TRUTH, without reference to the historical  and cultural development of medicine ‐ sociology critiques what is  meant by TRUTH. Health is socially shaped – What is means to be healthy or ill shifts between generations and  within generations; across cultures and within cultures 3 2/17/2016 Identifying a sociological approach Key features of a sociological approach:   Social distribution and production of health patterns of health and illness eg gender, class, age Social construction of health defining and meanings of health and illness Social organisation of health social processes to manage health and illness eg power; which health services receive funding priority etc., ‘who does what and to whom’

In this report I will be describing different patterns of ill health and who and how they are monitored. I will also try to explain different factors that affect our health, not only now but I will try to discuss how different factors fight effect our health in the future, I will then evaluate the influence of the government have on factors that affect ill health.

Throughout society there are many different sociological approaches to health and ill health. Within society there are many different perspectives towards whom the responsibility for health falls upon and also what defines people as ill? Your health is defined by the general condition of your body and mind. An illness is defined by an impairment of normal physical or mental function. To help explain the different sociological approaches to health and ill health I will be referring to the case study of Aziz and Tamsela. Aziz and Tamsela have four young children; Tamsela’s elderly parents also live with them in their three bedroomed houses in a deprived and depressing area of London. Their house is in desperate need of repair; it is damp and

Biomedical model of health is an approach which eliminates psychological and social factors (environment) but only comprises biological issues in trying to recognize or understand an individual`s medical illness/disorder. The biomedical model of health looks upon treatment in expression of changing the body by medical intervention forms. Also this model seeks to look at what is wrong and fix that part of individual as it focuses on illness rather than health as well as diagnosing an individual`s illness.

In order to understand health, different models or frameworks for thinking have been developed which have been useful. The Biomedical model which evolved since the 19th century from Galen’s (Greek physician 200AD) concept of pathogen, focused on removing the disease/disability and not on prevention or general well-being [9]. The Biopsychosocial model however, doesn’t merely focus on the physical state of

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.

Mortality rates: In gender men generally die earlier than women because of many aspects of their life, for instance in general women tend to take care of them self more physically. A lot of women go on diets and a lot of exercise DVDs and detunes are mainly aimed at women. Women in general do try to eat healthy and go on diets whereas men usually aren't very aware of their diet and don’t have much intention on improving it. Women also tend to go to the doctors and seek medical advice more often and have their illnesses diagnosed and treated more often than men. Because women' generally take more care of themselves and do more to keep themselves healthy.

With this viewpoint, one points to how defeats in the health care system affect not only the prosperity of an individual, but also the health of other social establishments, such as the economy and families. This perspective looks at how societal changes effect health and contribute it to the development of societies, which lead to better living conditions. When a society develops, life expectancy increases and birth rates decrease. Also, the main source of death and disability transfer from infectious diseases, to chronic, non-infectious diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, arthritis and heart disease. Along with social changes affecting health, health affects social change.

I have chosen to compare the postmodern perspective on health and the biomedical model. The biomedical model view of the body is mechanistic. This point was argued by Engels, who said that the body was a machine and the breakdown of this machine was disease. he also beleived that the the doctor was the only one who could fix the machine. this point leads to many biomedical views. Firstly, it shows the way that doctors view the body as a set of individual parts, diagnose and treat them as such. This non-holistic view of the body is often criticised because it fails to cnsider the person as a whole and entire building. Secondly it shows the importance of the doctor in the

The “Sociological Perspective on Health and the Health Care” introduced perspectives about social structure, and social relations. The readers learn the sociological theory and the main misconceptions related to health care, and their policies. It provides an explanation of the production and the distribution of health care services. Firstly, structural functionalism focuses on individuals and groups in society and how it maintains a social role. Furthermore, symbolic interactionism focus on the conflicts in interaction amongst individuals. Moreover, social constructionism focuses on the medical facts and social authority and the reign over all in society. Also, gender and race influence the social conditions, and implications evident in Canadian health. Class conflicts with the control of power and the relationship between the employers and employees. It enhances the inequality evident in workplaces and the social stratification; ranking one by their assets. Materialism portrays that society is a social consensus rather than a conflict. However, this conflicts between the rich and the poor. Therefore, the healthcare impacts the minority, and affects it the most. Since the rich have an advantage of other options, however the minority struggles to afford private health care or buy their way around. Furthermore, the Marxist theory and oppression focuses on the exploitation by capitalism. It emphasizes on

An important next step will be to re-establish and anchor in trust in ourselves, and there is no better opportunity to test our trust than the fear generated by social beliefs and the media reports surrounding health and dis-ease.

As a medical matter sociological perspective, gave sociologist the ability to recognize channels that medical matters such as obesity, smoking, mortality rate, and other diseases such as HIV/Aids intersect with social phenomena such as inequality, gender poverty, and violence. As a medical issue the poor minority were used to advance the frontier of science seeking for cure (Chambliss,

Sociologists offer many explanations for the complex variations in health and illness, within all of these explanations, varying strengths and weaknesses will be found. In this essay, I will be exploring the genetic, cultural and material explanations and hope to conclude with evidence that ill-health has many causal features and cannot in fact be pinpointed to one explanation, instead encompassing a range of factors.