Ch 1: Biopsychosocial Model, Society, and Culture Flashcards
Biopsychosocial Approach
- illness is determined by a variety of influences, rather than a single cause
- causes and effects of illnesses can be examined at multiple levels in the life of an individual
ex: liver disease - could be related to alcoholism, treat alcoholism as well as liver
Biomedical Approach
focuses narrowly on the physical aspects of illness, disease studied by examining only the biological factors of illness
Macrosociology
broad societal structures that affect society
ex: social constructionism, functionalism, conflict theory, feminist theory
Microsociology
focuses on smaller scale interactions between individuals
ex: symbolic interactionism
Social Constructionism
humans create reality, all reality has no inherent meaning beyond human beliefs
different levels: some people divide reality into two categories - brute facts and institutional facts
Symbolic Interactionism
individuals develop shared meanings through social interactions
weakness: leaves out large scale societal forces
Symbols
terms, concepts, or items that represent specific meanings by accepted convention
Functionalism
factors of society work together to maintain stability , these institutions act like a homeostatic mechanism
Conflict Theory
competing groups in society that act for their own self-interest
Feminist Theory
societal inequities between men and women
Rational Choice Theory
people’s actions are dictated by rational consideration of alternatives, choose an actions that will bring some type of profit
Exchange Theory
in relationships behaviors are determined by an individuals expectation of reward or punishment
Culture
all of the beliefs, assumptions, objects, behaviors and processes that make up a shared way of life
can have individual differences but they share: common values, learned behaviors, approaches to life
material: objects involved in a certain way of life
non-material: elements of a culture that are not physical
Social Norms
behaviors that are accepted amongst a group
Sanctions
approval or disapproval of one’s actions based on social norms
+: approving smile for a good deed
-: glare directed at someone for a bad deed
Folkways
norms governing casual interactions
Mores
norms enforcing the moral standards of society; violations can lead to negative sanctions
Taboo
most extreme end of disapproval
Social Group
subset of the population that maintains social interactions
Evolution of Culture
human intelligence allows for the development of culture that is unmatched by other species in the animal kingdom
large brain: body size ratio
Symbolic Culture
a type of non-material culture that consists of elements of culture that have meaning only in the mind, based on a shared system of collective beliefs in the form of symbols
Language
use of symbols to represent ideas, allows one person’s thoughts to be transferred to the mind of a second person through symbols, speech or writing
- allowed for cooperation and exchange of info
Society
two or more individuals living together in a community and/or sharing elements of culture
Social Institutions
hierarchical systems that bring order to society
- government and economy
- education
- religion
- family
- health and medicine
Government and Economy
government: makes and enforces the law
economy: distributes good and services based on the needs of society
- capitalism - resources privately controlled, desire for profit drives commercialism, usually more productive and enjoy greater political freedom
- socialism - output matches demand of consumers, relies of gov regulation, decreased wealth disparity
Power
allows individuals or groups to exert their will when they are opposed by others
Education
formal structure during childhood and transfer of cultural knowledge
Hidden Curriculum
transmits cultural ideas beyond the states goals of the institution
Teacher Expectancy
teachers treat students differently according to preconceived ideas about their capabilities
Educational Segregation
compared to more privileged students, students in disadvantages groups receive a lower quality education
Educational Stratification
separation of students into groups on the basis of academic achievement
Religion
system of beliefs that makes sense of experiences and provides a framework for questions about life, death and the purpose of existence
three major types of religious organizations:
church - well established religious organization
sect - radical group, breaks away from established norms
cult - practices outside mainstream society
Religiosity
extent to which religion is important to an individual or a community
Secularization
decreasing devotion to religious practices
Fundamentalism
strictly literal interpretations of sacred writings
Family
consists of bonds of kin and marriage
Kinship
social bonds that unite individuals and families
Medicalization
effort to describe a type of behavior as a symptom of an underlying illness that should be treated by a doctor
Sick Role
exhibiting the expected behaviors for an ill person
Illness Experience
how an individual adjusts to interruptions in their health
