Health, Illness And The Sick Role Flashcards
What is the biomedical model of health?
Dominant model in western medicine. Where the body and mind can be treated separately.
Diseases can be identified and body can be repaired.
What is the social model of health?
Medical knowledge in itself is a social construct
Challenges mind and body dualism
Health is influenced by wider socio economic context.
What is illness?
What is disease?
The social, lived experience of symptoms and suffering
Disease = a technical malfunction or deviation from the norm which is scientifically diagnosed
Theories of health:
X3
Health as an ideal state - WHO “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absconded of ill health”
Health as a state of daily functioning
To carry out your social requirements
Health as a personal strength/ability
Health is about responding positively to various problems
— these definitions matter as it effects how we treat people’s health
Social norms?
Collective representation of acceptable group conduct
Deviance?
An action or behaviour that violates social norms
Parsons - labelled illness as deviance
The sick role summary:
Sickness is a chosen or forced route. The doctor patient relationship is a system that is centred on relations.
The doctor can sanction entry into the sick role
What is a chronic illness?
Am illness that lasts 1 year or more and requires ongoing medical treatment
What is labelling, why is it important?
This refers to a theory of social behaviour which states that the behaviour of human beings is influenced significantly by the way other members in society label them. It has been used to explain a variety of social behaviour among groups, including deviant criminal behaviour.
Doctors are responsible for selecting diagnostic labels, peoples labels can come to dominate them, make sure they are more than their condition.
What is stigma?
Felt stigma (internal stigma or self-stigmatization) refers to the shame and expectation of discrimination that prevents people from talking about their experiences and stops them seeking help. Enacted stigma (external stigma, discrimination) refers to the experience of unfair treatment by others.
Medicalisation and over medicalisation:
Medicalisation is the way of thinking about disease - as doctors we learn how to treat it
Medicine is used to treat illness that could be sorted by other means e.g.
ADHD - trouble in classroom, would smaller classes and better teaches make a difference.
Depression - looking at relationships, employment etc - instead that person is medicated
Locating the problems due to individuals rather than societal issues.
Medicalisation thesis:
More professionals and these professionals aim to seek control and expand their empire. This starts to dominate social aspects of life. They tend to seek problems in individuals rather than societal issues. Clients may also become addicted to their products and demand an increasing amount.
Over simple view and medicine has been very successful at eliminating disease and prolonging life
