Social MCAT

Biopsychosocial approach to health and illness

Illness is determined by a variety of influences, rather than a single cause. The causes and effects of illness can be examined at multiple levels in the life of an individual, and no single level provides the whole picture. Collecting info about psychosocial context is key to the understanding of physical health and illness.

Biomedical approach to health and illness

Disease is studied by examining only the biological factors of illness, neglecting contributing factors of psychological life and sociological context.

Models

Provide an approximation (physical/conceptual representation) of a scientific phenomenon that cannot be observed directly

Theories

Provides the conceptual framework for understanding objects of study

Social constructionism

Human actors actively construct their "reality", rather than discovering a reality that has inherent validity, through their social interactions. The beliefs and shared understandings of individuals create social realities.
In the context of illness, there is a gap b/t the biological reality of a medical condition and the societally created meaning of the condition. (ex. changing conceptualizations of mental illness results in changes to the DSM). It is a dynamic, ongoing process.

Brute facts vs Institutional Facts

Symbolic interactionism

Micro social perspective. Focuses on the smaller scale interactions between individuals in small groups. Through social interactions, individuals develop shared meanings and labels for various symbols. Allows for human agency in creating and changing meaning in society, rather than society acting upon the individual. Meaning can change with a single interaction, so addresses subjective meanings. Humans ascribe meaning to things, act based on those meanings, use language to generate meaning through social interaction, and modify meanings through thought processes. However, ignores larger societal forces that shape people's lives.

Symbols

Terms, concepts, or items that represent specific meanings by accepted convention. Meanings ascribed to symbols are determined by social norms and cultural values.

Functionalism

Founder: Emile Durkheim
Macrosocial perspective

Conflict Theory

Founder: Karl Marx
Macrosocial perspective
Views society in terms of competing groups that act according to their own self

Culture

All of the beliefs, assumptions, objects, behaviors, and processes that make up a shared way of life. Has a pervasive effect on worldview.

Culture shock

The discomfort and ensuring reevaluation of personal cultural assumptions when an individual experiences a culture different from her own

Material culture

Objects involved in a certain way of life

Nonmaterial culture

Encompasses the elements of cultures that are not physical. Includes shared ideas, knowledge, assumptions, values, and beliefs that unify a group of people.

Social norms

Expectations that govern what behavior is acceptable within a group. Social interactions help define a culture by establishing these

Social group

A subset of a population that maintains social interactions. Alternatively, includes a collection of shared experiences that create a group identity among a set of individuals

Symbolic culture

Non

Language

The use of symbols to represent ideas

Society

Two or more individuals living together in a definable area and/or sharing elements of a culture. A society can encompass multiple cultures.

Social institutions

Stable hierarchical systems that bring order to interpersonal interactions, structuring society. Examples are government/economy, education, religion, family, and health/medicine. Provide predictability and organization for individuals within a society, and mediate social behavior between people.

Government/economy as a social institution

Provides order to a society through the services it provides and the making and enforcement of law

Education as a social institution

Provides a formal structure during childhood and the transition to adulthood, and an opportunity to instruct youth on social norms, expectations for behavior, knowledge, and skills needed to operate within society. Its manifest function is to systematically pass down knowledge and give status to those who have been educated. Its latent function is socialization, serving as agents of change, and maintaining social control. Serves to reinforce and perpetuate social inequalities. Experience educational segregation because of differential funding of schools based on residential segregation.

Religion as a social institution

Acts as an organized structure of behaviors and social interactions that addresses the spiritual needs of society. From a functionalist standpoint, can create social cohesion/dissent, social change/control, and provide believers with meaning and purpose.

Religion

A system of beliefs that affects how people make sense of their experiences and provides a framework for questions about life, death, and the purpose of existence

Family as a social institution

Creates a social group in which to procreate, rear children, pass on cultural knowledge, and cooperate to better meet life's challenge

The nuclear family

The concept of family in which one man and one woman live together with their children; most common concept of family in the US. Consists of DIRECT blood relations.

Polygamy

An individual married to more than one individual

Polyandry

More than one man married to one woman

Health/medicine as a social institution

Fulfills the need for healthcare in an organized manner, with beliefs about diseases and approaches to healing varying between societies and cultures

Demographics

Statistics used to examine the nature of a specific population by quantifying subsets of that population. They are a statistical snapshot in time, and do not capture the ever

Quantified demographic parameters include:

Age, gender, nationality, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, SES, immigration status, education level

Demographic transition

A demographic change that takes place over time

Fertility

The production of offspring within a population

Cohort study

Following a subset of a population over a lifetime

Period study

Examining the number of offspring produced during a specific time period

Mortality

The death rate within a population.

Migration

The relocation of people from one place to another; influences population size

Immigration

The influx of new people to a specific area; increases population size

Emigration

The outflow of people to other areas; reduces population size

Social movement

Group of people who share an ideology and work together toward a specific set of goals

Urbanization

Increase in the proportion of people living in specified urban areas, due to industrialization

Globalization

Increasing amount of interaction and integration on the international scale through exchange of products, services, ideas and information

Social inequality

The unequal distribution of opportunities or treatment of individuals within a society based on various demographic categories

Spatial inequality

Unequal access to resources and variable quantity of life within a population or geographical distribution. Can be affected by income, unemployment, and unequal access to resources. Influences health by affecting access to healthcare

Environmental justice

The equal treatment of all people regardless of race, gender, or other social grouping with regard to prevention and relief from environmental and health hazards

Residential segregation

Instance of social inequality on the local scale, where demographic groups are separated into different locations with unequal access to resources

Food deserts

Areas where it is difficult to find affordable, healthy food options. More common in highly populated low

Social class

System of stratification that groups members of society according to similarities in social standing. Multifaceted, and tied to status within a community and power

Power

Influence over a community

People in higher social class tend to have more:

Power, Privilege, and Prestige

Socioeconomic status (SES)

Defines the economic and social position of a person in terms of income, wealth, education, and occupation

Income vs wealth

Income is assets EARNED while wealth is assets already OWNED.

Prestige

the relative value assigned to something within a particular society

White

collar work

Blue

collar work

Caste system

Hierarchy of society is strictly defined, position is inherited, and movement or marriage between castes is prohibited

Upward mobility

The movement of an individual up the class hierarchy. Achieved through education, marriage, career, or financial success

Downward mobility

The movement of an individual down the class hierarchy. Due to unemployment, underemployment, reduced household income, lack of education, or health issues

Intragenerational mobility

Movement of a young person from a lower social class to a higher social class through merit (achieving the "American dream")

Intergenerational mobility

Movement through the class system between generations (old generation is poor/rich, sets up environment for new generation to become rich/poor)

Meritocracy

Society in which advancement is based solely on the abilities and achievements of the individual

Cultural capital

The set of non

Social capital

An individual's social networks and connects that may confer economic or personal benefits

Social reproduction

Transmission of social inequality from one generation to the next

Poverty

an insufficiency of material goods, monetary wealth, and access to resources

Isolation

Also known as social exclusion. Describes how impoverished people are often excluded from opportunities available to others.

Absolute poverty

Lack of essential resources (food, shelter, clothing, hygiene). More extreme form of poverty

Relative poverty

Social inequality in which people are relatively poor compared to other members of society in which they live

Health disparity

Aka health inequity. Differences in health and healthcare that occur between groups of people

Sociology

The study of how individuals interact with, shape, and are subsequently shaped by the society in which they live. Attempts to understand the behavior of GROUPS.

Emile Durkheim

Dynamic equilibrium

Aspect of functionalism. Complex societies contain many different but interdependent parts working together to maintain stability. Unhealthy cites are unable to maintain this.

Social facts

The elements that serve some function in society, such as the laws, morals, values, religions, customs, rituals, and rules that make up a society.

Manifest functions

Intended and obvious consequences of a social structure

Latent functions

Unintended or less recognizable consequence of a social structure. Can be considered beneficial, neutral, or harmful

Social dysfunction

Social process that has undesirable consequences, reducing the stability of society

Karl Marx

Father of sociology. Associated with Conflict Theory. Looked at the economic conflict between different social classes, and argued that societies progress through class struggle between those who own and control production and those who labor and provide the manpower for production. Believed that capitalism would ultimately lead to self

Ludwig Gumplowicz

Proposed that society is shaped by war and conquest, and that cultural and ethnic conflicts lead to certain groups becoming dominant over other groups.

Max Weber

Father of sociology. Argued that in a capitalist society inequalities would lead to conflict, but that there would be more than one source of conflict. Argued that there were several factors that moderated people's reaction to inequality.

Dramaturgical approach

Assumes that people are theatrical performers and that everyday life is a stage, where people choose what kind of image they want to communicate verbal and nonverbally to others. Critics say this research may not be objective, ad that theory is focused too narrowly on symbolic interaction.

Social construct

A concept or practice that is construct of a group. Everybody in society agrees to treat a certain aspect a certain way regardless of its inherent value in nature.

Family

A set of people related by blood, marriage, adoption, or some other agreed

Socialization

The process by which people learn customs and values of their culture. It is the way that children learn the culture into which they have been born

Polygyny

A man married to more than one woman

Endogamy

The practice of marrying within a particular group

Exogamy

A requirement to marry outside a particular group, with it being the norm in almost all cultures to prohibit sexual relationships between certain relatives

Assisted marriage

Parents provide children with possible mates, out of which the child can choose

Kinship/kin

How we think about who we are related to. Considered a cultural group rather than biological

Bilateral descent

Kin groups that involve both maternal and paternal relations

Patrilineal descent

Preference for paternal relations in the kin group

Matrilineal descent

Preference for maternal relations in the kin group

Egalitarian family

Spouses are treated as equals and may be involved in negotiation when making decisions

Social class in America is largely determined by .

Financial wealth

Upper vs lower class families

Upper class families have concerns related to continuing a larger family tradition and properly training children, while lower class families are focused on completing the everyday tasks necessary for survival. Upper class parents are more permissive/authoritative, while lower class parents are more authoritarian.

Divorce rate in America

Has generally increased due to social and religious acceptance, more opportunities for women's autonomy, and lessened financial and legal barriers

Ecclesia

A dominant religious organization that includes most members of society, is recognized as the national or official religion, and tolerates no other religions

Church

A type of religious organization that is well

Sect

A religious organization that is distinct from that of the larger society. Formed from breaking away from larger religious institutions. Membership may be by birth or through conversion.

Cult/New religious movement

A religious organization that is far outside society's norms and often involves a very different lifestyle. Many major world religions originated as cults.

Religiosity

The extent of influence of religion in a person's life