Lay Beliefs Flashcards
What are the differences between the medical and the social model of interpreting a disability?
Medical:
This holds the theory that disability is a deviation from medical norms and that disadvantages are a direct consequence of impairment and disabilities. It also says that it needs medical intervention to cure or to help.
Social:
This is the theory that problem are a product of environment and failure of the environment to adjust. This also believes that disability is a form of social oppression and that political action and social change are needed.
What are the criticisms of the medical model of disability?
It has a lack of recognition of social and psychological factors
It encourages stereotyping and stigmatising language
What are the criticisms of the social model of disability?
The body is left out
Overly drawn view of society
It has a failure to recognise bodily realities and the extent to which these are solvable socially.
What is the difference between impairment, disability and handicap? (The words used in the international classification of impairments, disabilities or handicaps - ICIDH)
(If disease was arthritis…)
Impairment: concerned with abnormalities in the structure or functioning of the body. (stiff joints)
Disability: concerned with performance of activities (hard to walk)
Handicap: concerned with broader social and psychological consequences of living with impairment and disability. (find a job?)
What are the problems with using the words impairment, disability and handicap to describe disability? (Known as the international classification of impairments, disabilities or handicaps.)
Use of the word ‘handicap’ is problematic because of its connotations
It implies the problems are intrinsic or inevitable
It embodies many features of the medical model.
What are lay beliefs?
lay health beliefs are the rules and meanings that different social groups use to order their lives and make sense of their experience of health and illness.
What effect do lay beliefs have?
Lay beliefs means that different peoples definition of health and illness vary and that there may be a gap between their beliefs and medical knowledge. These concepts are social embedded and complex so, they can impact on peoples behaviour and there compliance with treatment. This means that doctors should try and be understanding of different beliefs and approach things differently because of this.
What are the three different definitions of health?
Negative definition - health is the absence of illness
Functional definition - health is the ability to do certain things
Positive definition - health is the state of wellbeing and fitness
What two distinct things to people want to understand, causing them to turn to lay beliefs?
People want to understand why and how illness happens and, they want to understand why it happened to a particular person at a particular time (using a combination of personal, familial and social sources of knowledge to come up with a theory…).
Many people observe and generate hypotheses from the people around us.
What is the interface between lay and medical beliefs?
The public are surrounded by professional concepts so difficult for lay understandings to develop independently.
But, professional concepts interpreted and made sense of in light of everyday life experience.
What is health behaviour?
health behaviour is activities undertaken for the purpose of maintaining health and preventing illness.
What is illness behaviour?
Illness behaviour is the activity id an ill person to define illness and seek solution
What is sick role behaviour?
Sickness behaviour is the formal response to symptoms inc seeking formal help and the it is the actions of a person as a patient.
Why is smoking more prevalent among lower socioeconomic groups?
This is because people of a higher social class are more likely to have a positive definition of health so they are more likely to focus on long term investments. This means that quitting smoking is a rational choice. However, in lower socioeconomic groups, the incentives for quitting are less clear because they focus in improving there immediate environment. This means that smoking is a more rational choice because it is a coping mechanism and a more rational behaviour.
What influences illness behaviour? (8)
Culture Visibility or salience of symptoms Extent to which symptoms disrupt life Frequency and persistence of symptoms Tolerance threshold Information and understanding Availability of resources Lay referral
