Chapter 19: Health and Medicine

Question 1

anxiety disorders

Answer 1

feelings of worry and fearfulness that last for months at a time

Question 2

commodification

Answer 2

the changing of something not generally thought of as a commodity into something that can be bought and sold in a marketplace

Question 3

contested illnesses

Answer 3

illnesses that are questioned or considered questionable by some medical professionals

Question 4

demedicalization

Answer 4

the social process that normalizes “sick” behavior

Question 5

disability

Answer 5

a reduction in one’s ability to perform everyday tasks; the World Health Organization notes that this is a social limitation

Question 6

impairment

Answer 6

the physical limitations a less-able person faces

Question 7

individual mandate

Answer 7

a government rule that requires everyone to have insurance coverage or pay a penalty

Question 8

legitimation

Answer 8

when a physician certifies that an illness is genuine

Question 9

medical sociology

Answer 9

the systematic study of how humans manage issues of health and illness, disease and disorders, and health care for both the sick and the healthy

Question 10

medicalization of deviance

Answer 10

the process that changes “bad” behavior into “sick” behavior

Question 11

medicalization

Answer 11

the process by which aspects of life that were considered bad or deviant are redefined as sickness and needing medical attention to remedy

Question 12

mood disorders

Answer 12

long-term, debilitating illnesses like depression and bipolar disorder

Question 13

personality disorders

Answer 13

disorders that cause people to behave in ways that are seen as abnormal to society but seem normal to them

Question 14

private health care

Answer 14

health insurance that a person buys from a private company; private health care can either be employer-sponsored or direct-purchase

Question 15

public health care

Answer 15

health insurance that is funded or provided by the government

Question 16

sick role

Answer 16

the pattern of expectations that define appropriate behavior for the sick and for those who take care of them

Question 17

social epidemiology

Answer 17

the study of the causes and distribution of diseases

Question 18

socialized medicine

Answer 18

when the government owns and runs the entire health care system

Question 19

stereotype interchangeability

Answer 19

when stereotypes don’t change, they get recycled for application to a new subordinate group

Question 20

stigmatization of illness

Answer 20

are those that are discriminated against and whose sufferers are looked down upon or even shunned by society

Question 21

stigmatization

Answer 21

when someone’s identity is spoiled; they are labeled as different, discriminated against, and sometimes even shunned due to an illness or disability

Question 22

underinsured

Answer 22

those who spend at least 10 percent of their income on health care costs that are not covered by insurance

Question 23

universal health care

Answer 23

a system that guarantees health care coverage for everyone