PH -Sociology of health

power,social roles

what ar ethe functional sociological perspective on health ?

• What is health? – individuals are able to perform their social role/s within
society
• Nature of the body and mind – both influenced by society
• Nature of treatment – patients enter the “sick role” and are then resume
their roles again
• View of disease – society ills
• View of who is responsible – society

What are the different models and some comparisons?

Depression….
● Biomedical – neurotransmitter imbalance (lack of serotonin)
● Biopsychosocial – a person with depression, possibly caused by life circumstances
● Sociological – societal causes and solutions

What is power?

• how much control we have over our lives

What are roles?

● Assigned roles in society
● Behavioural expectations for each role
● A person will have many different roles
● A functioning society depends on everybody performing their roles

What is the sick role ?

Talcott Parsons (1951)
Rights and obligations of the sick role:
1. Exemption from normal responsibilities – medical legitimation
2. Not held responsible
3. Must want to get well, malingering
4. Obliged to seek help and cooperate with medical practitioners

What are hidden powers and role dynamics?

the other aspects of roles their impacts

• sick role - is empowering because paternalistic,passive patient,submit to authority

What are the different iatrogeneses?

Ivan Illich –
● Clinical iatrogenesis – treatments causing more harm than good
● Social iatrogenesis – Medicalisation – medicine taking over “normal”
conditions or behaviours
● Cultural iatrogenesis – reliance on healthcare erodes self-reliance, autonomy and reliance on communities

What is the role of medicines ?

Medicines as a social object:
● A symbol of care
● Validation of the sick role
● Medicalisation
● Behavioural control
● Social control
● Can be both empowering and disempowering

What causes indigestion/dyspepsia?

● Lifestyle – diet, alcohol, smoking, stress
● Medical – hiatus hernia
● Iatrogenic – side-effect of other meds
● What would a biomedical approach to treating this condition look like?
● What would a biopsychosocial approach look like?
● What would a sociological approach look like? (normal social role, sick role)
● Has indigestion been medicalised?
● Have people been empowered to self-care?
● What role does profit maximisation play?
● How has the pharmacist’s role changed?
● Do people have more power as patients or customers?
● Do the treatments cure the condition or just relieve symptoms?

summary

● Be aware of the hidden power dynamics and roles of healthcare,
pharmaceutical industry, pharmacists, patients (people, customers) and the medicines themselves.
● Know and understand the biomedical, biopsychosocial and sociological
models of health.
● Know and understand the sick role.
● Know and understand medicalisation.
● Know and understand iatrogenesis.