Theories of Health

Question 1

What is the biomedical model?

Answer 1

People with disabilities or mental health conditions are defined by their illness or medical condition

Question 2

How does the biomedical model relate to the promotion of health and wellbeing and treatment of disease?

Answer 2

Individual’s Problem – Treatment, carer or a curer needed but society will give them the tools to fix themselves

Question 3

Give 3 treatments of disease

Answer 3

1) Medicine – Drugs service user receives
2) Surgical Procedures – Putting on a cast, operations
3) Alternative Therapies – Hydrotherapy for aches, hypnotherapy for smoking

Question 4

How does the biomedical model impact on healthcare?

Answer 4

Quick fix approach focusing on only the medical treatment and how society can treat the condition in the most effective way in terms of cost, timing and healing

Question 5

What is the sociological model?

Answer 5

In 60’s and 70’s, people with disabilities challenged how they were regarded within society

Question 6

Give 3 theoretical approaches of sociology which relate to healthcare

Answer 6

1) Conflict Analysis
2) Functionalist Theory
3) Symbolic Interactionism

Question 7

What is conflict analysis?

Answer 7

Argues that discrimination causes inequalities based on gender, income, heritage and education in health care provision

Question 8

Give 2 ways the conflict analysis perspective relates to health and care provision

Answer 8

1) Those in most need of services are often less able to access health care provision due to cost of services, location of provision and physical access arrangements
2) Clinicians medicalise problems in order to retain a power and income status, preventing individual’s underlying emotional and social problems from being identified and managed

Question 9

What is the functionalist theory?

Answer 9

Idea that when you’re sick to do everything you can to get better in order to become functional within society again

Question 10

Give 2 ways the functionalist theory perspective relates to health and care provision

Answer 10

1) Individual only has an illness if it has been labelled, diagnosed or confirmed by a doctor, not self-diagnosed
2) Focuses on the core values and norms, where members of society perform social roles which is considered normal, whereas if you’re sick you become dysfunctional in society and aren’t considered normal because it’s not helping or contributing to society

Question 11

What is symbolic interactionism?

Answer 11

Illness is a construct and they need to be labelled as an illness otherwise they do not exist

Question 12

Give 5 ways the symbolic interactionism perspective relates to health and care provision

Answer 12

1) Illness must be identified and established within society in order for appropriate treatment to be given and not coincide with other existing conditions
2) Self-diagnosis may occur if illness is not addressed correctly by individual or health care professional such as GP or nurse
3) People develop subjective notions of different sicknesses and may have misconceptions and attach negative labels to certain conditions, such as creating a stigma on mental health
4) Being diagnosed with an illness changes the way an individual acts as they can use illness as an explanation for certain situations
5) Health and care professionals use this perspective when delivering care to destroy certain stigmas

Question 13

How does the sociological model impact on healthcare?

Answer 13

Access to healthcare services such as adaptations, expense and funding and how society removes labels based on disabilities

Question 14

What is the psychological model?

Answer 14

A theory, approach or perspective that involves certain assumptions about human behaviour

Question 15

Give 3 psychological approaches which relate to the promotion of health and wellbeing

Answer 15

1) Cognitive
2) Humanistic
3) Behaviourist

Question 16

What is the cognitive approach?

Answer 16

A development of thought and mental processes, including the ability of our brains to process information

Question 17

Give 1 psychologist who studied the cognitive approach

Answer 17

Jean Piaget

Question 18

What is piaget’s approach?

Answer 18

Developmental Psychology – To understand how children develop the ability to think, problem solve and understand the world via actions in the memory called schema

Question 19

What is the humanistic approach?

Answer 19

The way in which personality is studied from the point of view of an individuals subjective experience

Question 20

Give 2 psychologists who studied the humanistic approach

Answer 20

1) Carl Rogers

2) Abraham Maslow

Question 21

What is roger’s approach?

Answer 21

For an individual to ‘grow’ they need an environment that provides them with empathy, genuineness and acceptance (being seen with unconditional positive regard), so self-concept can be achieved. Self-concept (self-image and self-esteem) can only be achieved if we have a positive outlook on ourselves.

Question 22

How does rogers’ approach promote an understanding of health and wellbeing?

Answer 22

n/a

Question 23

What is maslow’s approach?

Answer 23

Hierarchy of Needs 1972 – Created five hierarchical levels within a pyramid which must be satisfied or fulfilled before moving up to the next level and reaching self-actualisation

Question 24

How does maslow’s approach promote an understanding of health and wellbeing?

Answer 24

Holistic Approach – Health and care professionals use the approach to provide all-round and integrated care and services

Question 25

What is the behaviourist approach?

Answer 25

An understanding of human behaviour in terms of what has been learnt

Question 26

Give 3 psychologists who studied the behaviourist approach

Answer 26

1) Throndike
2) Ivan Pavlov
3) B. F. Skinner

Question 27

What is throndike’s approach?

Answer 27

Law of Effect – Human intelligence theory consisting of three intelligences (abstract, mechanical and social) and states that behaviour is followed by positive consequences

Question 28

What is pavlov’s approach?

Answer 28

Classical Conditioning – Observed that whenever a dog heard a bell ring, it would salivate because it had been conditioned to associate the bell with getting food

Question 29

What is skinner’s approach?

Answer 29

Operant Conditioning – Observed that whenever a rat knocked a lever to drop a food pellet into a box, it would keep knocking the lever because when behaviour is rewarded it is likely to be repeated

Question 30

Give 4 behavioural therapies

Answer 30

1) Flooding – Fully exposing service user to their fear or phobia
2) Token Economy – Rewarding good behaviour with ‘tokens’ which can be exchanged with something the service user wants
3) Aversion Therapy – Designed to make service user give up an addiction they have by causing them to associate it with an unpleasant effect
4) Systematic Desensitisation – Slowly exposing service user to their fear or phobia

Question 31

How does the psychological model impact on healthcare?

Answer 31

n/a

Question 32

What is the biopsychosocial model?

Answer 32

An approach which explains how biological, psychological and social factors interact and combine to influence physical and mental health

Question 33

How does the biopsychosocial model promote an understanding of health and wellbeing?

Answer 33

Holistic Approach – If an individual has a physical or biological problem, they will also have psychological and social factors negatively impacting on their overall health and wellbeing

Question 34

How does the biopsychosocial model impact on healthcare?

Answer 34

n/a