Module 3: Communicating the Politics of Healthcare Systems

What are the major theories of illness causation?

Lifestyle, Genetic, Environmental, Germ, Political/Structural

Lifestyle (theory of illness causation)

• Attribution: diet, exercise, etc.

• Intervention: Individuals make choices

Genetic (theory of illness causation)

Attribution: Genetic make-up; predisposition

Intervention: Genetic therapy and alterations

Environmental (theory of illness causation)

Attribution: Natural environment

Intervention: Ecology, industry, and political system

Germ (theory of illness causation)

Attribution: Viruses, microorganism

Intervention: Individualized medical care

Political/Structural (theory of illness causation)

Attribution: Social and economic inequalities

Intervention: Structures to change and support social, economic, and political marginalization

Which major theory of illness causation reflects your opinion?

I think lifestyle reflects my opinion overall as it factors in all the other theories to some extent as its based on individual choices some pertaining to diet and exercise.

What is medical gaze?

The way healthcare professionals view and interpret a person primarily through the lens of disease, symptoms, and medical findings, rather than considering the whole person.

Example of medical gaze

A doctor focuses only on a patient's abnormal test results and diagnosis while ignoring the patient's emotions, family situation, or concerns about how the illness affects their daily life.

Definition of medicalization

The process of defining or treating a normal human experience, behavior, or social issue as a medical condition requiring medical intervention.

Example of medicalization

Treating normal aging-related changes, such as menopause, primarily as a medical problem that requires diagnosis and treatment rather than recognizing it as a natural life process.

What are the theories of policymaking?

Elite theories, Pluralist theories, The Punctuated Equilibria Model, From a communicative perspective

Elite theories (theory of policymaking)

Politics is influenced by political elites.

Pluralist theories (theory of policymaking)

No single group dominates the political system.

The Punctuated Equilibria Model (theory of policymaking)

Policy consensus can be distributed by sudden social change.

From a Communication Perspective (theory of policymaking)

Policy involves defining problems and creating actionable solutions, which are publicly available.

Which theory do you think represents how our political system works today?

Elite Theories best represent how our political system works today as it suggests that a relatively small group of powerful individuals and organizations has a significant influence on political decisions and policymaking.