Sociology of health and illness Flashcards
What do sociologist do in regards to health and illness
Systematic study of social life - how can we understand and explain the social world?
Examines interactions between individuals and groups, and interactions between groups.
Locates health, patients, health professionals, and medical knowledge in a social context and wider history.
Encourages us to move away from seeing health in individualistic terms.
Examines how imbalances in power and social inequalities affect health.
From a sociological perspective, society deeply shapes and affects our health and well-being and the practice of medicine.
What are some macro things that relate to health ?
Social inequalities and health - education, income and occupation.
Deprivation – Limited or no access to social goods
Relative deprivation – Deprivation in comparison to other individuals or groups.
Behavioural/Cultural Explanation – smoking, alcohol, fast food
Material explanation – housing, employement, income, poverty.
Psychosocial explanation – Moves beyong material factors, focuses on experiences of inequality eg sense of self and value.
What is biological disruption ?
The experience of chronic illness and the way in which a life-threatening illness breaks an individual’s social and cultural experience by threatening his or her self-identity.
- Disruption of daily activies
- Self identity
- Shame and Blame.
What is stigma and chronic illness
Stigma refers to an attribute that ‘discredits’, or prevents someone’s full acceptance in a particular situation.
Some conditions carry a social stigma – this is when the illness is connected to states or practices that society sees as undesirable.
Enacted stigma – discrimination against people on grounds of their perceived inferiority.
Felt stigma – feeling of shame associated with fear of enacted stigma.
What is sociology ?
Systematic study of social life - how can we understand and explain the social world?
Examines interactions between individuals and groups, and interactions between groups
From a sociological perspective, society deeply shapes and affects our health and wellbeing, and the practice of medicine.
What is the large scale ( macro) approach to sociology ?
Macro approach
Structures – the large-scale external factors that establish and shape our beliefs, opportunities, actions, etc.
For example: Law, social class, health care system, government, health policy.
What is the micro approach to sociology ?
Micro approach
Agency – refers to the way individuals respond to and interpret the wider external factors (micro approach).
For example: doctor-patient interactions, individual responses to and experiences of illness, influence of peers or co-workers.
What measurements are including in socio-economic status ?
SES - often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation
What is deprivation ?
Limited or no access to social goods
Being without
What is relative deprivation ?
Deprivation in comparison to other individuals or groups
What is IoD – Indices of Deprivation
‘a unique measure of relative deprivation at small local area level’
Covers 7 domains of deprivation
Broad measurement helps encompass many aspects of a person’s living condition
What is IMD ? -
IMD – Index of Multiple Deprivation
Official measure of relative deprivation
Ranks all areas of England from most to least
deprived
What is the behavioural/cultural explanation to class and health ?
Emphasise differences in behaviours between socioeconomic groups
eg bad habbits, smoking ect
What is the materal explaination to class and health ?
Emphasise material factors, such as:
Housing
Employment
Income
Poverty
How might material factors put your patient at risk, worsen the condition, or make management difficult?
What is the psychosocial explaination to health and class ?
Moves beyond material factors
Focuses on experiences of inequality.
We might ask: how does social inequality affect people’s sense of self and value and, by extension, their health?
Three major types of explanation tend to dominate current discussions in regards to explaining health and class, what are they ?
Behavioural and cultural
Material
Psychosocial
