Topic 1: Perspectives on Health Flashcards
Navarro (1976)
-Marxist
-Critical of healthcare systems as it creates false class consciousness in individuals physical symptoms
-Critical biomedical model
-Focus on lifestyle as a cause of illness rather than social factors
Evaluation of Marxist view on health
-Overly critical of the role of healthcare professionals
-Altruistic nature of doctors- look to serve patients, not capitalism
The social model of health reflects social inequalities in health, but individuals have choices over the food they consume and substance abuse
Marxist overview on health
-Definition of health and ill health is based on what the bourgeoise decides.
-Believe doctors hide real social causes of illness (social factors) by focusing on the individual’s physical symptoms
-Critical of the biomedical model.
Functionalist overview of health
-Emphasis on health on the individual as they adjust to the sick role.
-Role of medical practitioners in defining the sick role for individuals.
Parsons (1951)
-Exploring the social and physical obligations of individuals to engage in the process of getting better
-Wellness is good for society
A sick role needs to be assumed when individuals cannot perform their usual functions in society when they are ill.
-Sick role in action: Employees can self-certify themself as ill for 5 days
Functionalism evaluation
-Conflict theorists:
Marxists argue that medical professionals serve the needs of those with power and capitalism
Feminists argue that medical professionals serve the needs of those with power and the patriarchy
Social Action Theory Overview
-Focus on relationships between individuals and healthcare professionals
-Practitioners and patients influence the treatment patients receive
-Effect of being labelled as having a medical condition
-Health= socially constructed
-Labelling impacts:
Stigma, Individuals defining themselves as sick, helplessness label attached to disability
-MH becomes master status
Social Action Theory evaluation
Arber et al (2006)
-Little evidence of different interactions between client and patient occurring in contemporary society.
-Changing nature of patient-practitioner relationships in contemporary society
Feminism overview
-Focuses on the ways in which women are disadvantaged by the healthcare system
-Examine medicalaisation of female health- childbirth and pregnancy and how these are used to monitor women
-Examine evidence of patriarchal structure of health
-Womens bodies being controlled by men’s decision making
Oakley
-Childbirth has become increasingly medicalised and the biomedical model controls expectant mothers.
-Interviewed pre and post birth and found medicalisation of post-natal depression.
-Medicalistaion of women’s bodies during this process was a result of a deficient model of femininity rather than a rapid change to lives
gender
Witz (1992)
-Women excluded from the medical profession and the patriarchal structure of medicine
Evaluation of Feminist perspective on medicine
Medicalisation of birth is a result of older pregnancies. The Average age of pregnancy now is 30, compared to 20 in 1960.
-Increased percentage of females in the NHS (77%) 2018
-Focus on medicalisation ignores social factors that influence health.
-Male health is equally as problematic, the impact of masculinity= significant and causes real health
-Differences and interactions of different social factors
-Women have improvingly better social, economic and cultural power than the past which improves health.
Post modernist overview on health
-Greater choice of medical interventions possible in contemporary society
-Reject biological explanation of health as a meta-narrative
-Examine range of complimentary and alternative medicine available for individuals and why they choose these
-Increased choice
Foucalt
-Postmodernist
-Power relationships between patients and professionals (power imbalance)
Evaluations of Post-Modernism
-Majority of individuals
-7.7 million adults on anti-depressants in the UK
-84.3 million anti-depressant prescription in 2021
Medical Misogyny
India:
-Women struggle to access healthcare
-Women visited the hospital less = demand of household and expenses
-Many women aren’t financially stable, and can’t pay for healthcare
-Man needs to be free to take her to the doctors
-No financial independence
-Women’s health issues are overlooked e.g frequent misdiagnoses of endometriosis
