Ch 1: Biopsychosocial Model, Society, and Culture

Question 1

Biopsychosocial Approach

Answer 1

1. illness is determined by a variety of influences, rather than a single cause
2. 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

Question 2

Biomedical Approach

Answer 2

focuses narrowly on the physical aspects of illness, disease studied by examining only the biological factors of illness

Question 3

Macrosociology

Answer 3

broad societal structures that affect society

ex: social constructionism, functionalism, conflict theory, feminist theory

Question 4

Microsociology

Answer 4

focuses on smaller scale interactions between individuals

ex: symbolic interactionism

Question 5

Social Constructionism

Answer 5

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

Question 6

Symbolic Interactionism

Answer 6

individuals develop shared meanings through social interactions
weakness: leaves out large scale societal forces

Question 7

Symbols

Answer 7

terms, concepts, or items that represent specific meanings by accepted convention

Question 8

Functionalism

Answer 8

factors of society work together to maintain stability , these institutions act like a homeostatic mechanism

Question 9

Conflict Theory

Answer 9

competing groups in society that act for their own self-interest

Question 10

Feminist Theory

Answer 10

societal inequities between men and women

Question 11

Rational Choice Theory

Answer 11

people’s actions are dictated by rational consideration of alternatives, choose an actions that will bring some type of profit

Question 12

Exchange Theory

Answer 12

in relationships behaviors are determined by an individuals expectation of reward or punishment

Question 13

Culture

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Social Norms

Answer 14

behaviors that are accepted amongst a group

Question 15

Sanctions

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Folkways

Answer 16

norms governing casual interactions

Question 17

Mores

Answer 17

norms enforcing the moral standards of society; violations can lead to negative sanctions

Question 18

Taboo

Answer 18

most extreme end of disapproval

Question 19

Social Group

Answer 19

subset of the population that maintains social interactions

Question 20

Evolution of Culture

Answer 20

human intelligence allows for the development of culture that is unmatched by other species in the animal kingdom
large brain: body size ratio

Question 21

Symbolic Culture

Answer 21

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

Question 22

Language

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Society

Answer 23

two or more individuals living together in a community and/or sharing elements of culture

Question 24

Social Institutions

Answer 24

hierarchical systems that bring order to society

1. government and economy
2. education
3. religion
4. family
5. health and medicine

Question 25

Government and Economy

Answer 25

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

Question 26

Power

Answer 26

allows individuals or groups to exert their will when they are opposed by others

Question 27

Education

Answer 27

formal structure during childhood and transfer of cultural knowledge

Question 28

Hidden Curriculum

Answer 28

transmits cultural ideas beyond the states goals of the institution

Question 29

Teacher Expectancy

Answer 29

teachers treat students differently according to preconceived ideas about their capabilities

Question 30

Educational Segregation

Answer 30

compared to more privileged students, students in disadvantages groups receive a lower quality education

Question 31

Educational Stratification

Answer 31

separation of students into groups on the basis of academic achievement

Question 32

Religion

Answer 32

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

Question 33

Religiosity

Answer 33

extent to which religion is important to an individual or a community

Question 34

Secularization

Answer 34

decreasing devotion to religious practices

Question 35

Fundamentalism

Answer 35

strictly literal interpretations of sacred writings

Question 36

Family

Answer 36

consists of bonds of kin and marriage

Question 37

Kinship

Answer 37

social bonds that unite individuals and families

Question 38

Medicalization

Answer 38

effort to describe a type of behavior as a symptom of an underlying illness that should be treated by a doctor

Question 39

Sick Role

Answer 39

exhibiting the expected behaviors for an ill person

Question 40

Illness Experience

Answer 40

how an individual adjusts to interruptions in their health