Week 1- Intro

Question 1

Define health

Answer 1

Health is described as the state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity

Question 2

Define society

Answer 2

the aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community

Question 3

Define culture

Answer 3

the sum of shared ideas, values, beliefs, practices and material objects that people create to make sense of, adapt to and thrive in their environments

Question 4

Define socialisation

Answer 4

The process by which people learn their culture. They do so by engaging and disengaging from a succession of roles and becoming aware of themselves as they interact with others

Question 5

Define role

Answer 5

The behaviour expected of a person occupying a particular position in society

Question 6

Define norms

Answer 6

are generally accepted ways of doing things

Question 7

Define sociology

Answer 7

the systematic system of human behaviour in social context

Question 8

What is the bio-medical model of health

Answer 8

utilises medical knowledge in modern western societies, focuses on the physical or biological aspects and the diagnoses or treatment heavily rely on technology

Question 9

What is the social model of health

Answer 9

health and disease are influenced by a range of social factors. Changing patterns of disease are linked to changes in society

Question 10

What is the sociological perspective

Structure v agency

Answer 10

analyses the connection between personal experiences and three levels of social structure micro, macro and global structures

Question 11

Define agency

Answer 11

an individual or collective ability to influence ones own life and to influence society

Question 12

Define social structure

Answer 12

stable patterns of social relations

Question 13

Name and Define the three structures with examples

Answer 13

Mircostructure - are patterns of intimate social relations eg families and friendships
Macrostructures- are the pattern of social relations that lie outside and above your circle of intimates and acquaintances e.g classes, bureaucracies and power system
Global structures- are pattern of social relations that lie above the national level e.g international organisations

Question 14

What is sociological imagination

Answer 14

the quality of mind that enable one to see the connection between personal trouble and social structures

Question 15

Describe and provide examples of the 4 major theoretical traditions in sociology

Answer 15

Functionalism - focuses on the maintenance of order and cohesion and views society as a few interdependent parts, societies are complete systems and their component parts cannot be viewed in isolation from each other e.g good health and effective healthcare are essential for a society’s ability to function, and it views the physician-patient relationship as hierarchical

Conflict theory- focuses on conflict rather than cohesion and views society as fragmented, emphasising the role of coercion in producing social order e.g emphasises inequality and inequity in the quality of health and in the the quality of health care provided to patients and communities

Symbolic interactionism- focuses on the process of symbolic interaction and the symbolic meanings that people develop e.g health and illness are socially constructed; physical and mental conditions have little or no objective reality but instead are considered healthy or ill conditions only if they are defined as such by a society and its members

Feminism- focuses on challenging gender inequality

Question 16

Link the sociological theories to personal experiences in society

Answer 16

Functionalism

Question 17

Identify the key sociologists (8)

Answer 17

Emile Durkheim- structural functionalism 
C.Wright Mills- Social imagination 
Karl Marx- conflict theory 
Max Weber- Protestant ethic 
Hebert Blumer- symbolic interaction 
George Ritzer- Conceptualise some social trends as the mcdonaldisation of society 
Harriet Martineau- Feminist 
Jane Addams- Feminist

Question 18

Explain and apply the sociological imagination template

Answer 18

Enables nurses to move beyond common-sense explanations to the development of a more critcal approach to nursing practice
4 levels
Historical- how has history shaped or influence the present world
Cultural- how do cultivable aspects of social organisation impact our lives
Structural- how do particular forms of social organisation affect our lives
Critical- how can exsisting social arrangements be different and how can we improve our social environment

Question 19

What are the 4 fundamental responsibilities of nurses

Answer 19

to promote health
to prevent illness
to restore health
to alleviate suffering

Question 20

A working health model includes a balance of

Answer 20

mental, physical and social components

Question 21

List and describe influences of health

Answer 21

Health sociology focuses on the social patterns of health and illness and seeks social rather than biological or psychological explanations. 
Background info 
- Culture
- Resources
- systems 
- policies 
- wealth
- media 
- social cohesion 
- landscape
- climate
-chemical 
- human made 

Socioeconomic characteristics

• Educatiom
• employment
• income
• family
• neighbourhood
• access to services
• other

Health behaviours
diet 
exercise 
tabacco and alcohol use 
drugs 
vaccincation status
sexual practice 
psychological effects 
safety factors 

Biomedical factors 
weight 
bp 
blood cholesterol 
glucose tolernance
immune status 

individual makeup 
(genetics, inter-generational, ageing, life course) 

= Individual and population health

Question 22

Describe 5 differences of the biomedical and social model of health

Answer 22

Focus
Bio med
* individual focus- acute treatment of ill individuals
* Clinical services, health education, immunisation

Social

• Societal focus- living and working conditions that affect health
• Public health infrastructure and legislation, social services, community action, equity and access issues

Key indicators of illness
Bio med
* individual pathology
* hereditary/genetic factors, sex, age

Social

• Social inequity
• Social groups; class, gender, race, ethnicity, age, occupation, unemployment

Cause of illness
bio med
*  gene defects and micro- organisms (viruses, bacteria) 
* trauma 
* behaviour 

social

• political/economic factors ; distrubution of wealth/income/power, poverty, level of social services
• employment factors; access paid to work, educational opportunities, stressful and dangerous work
• Cultural factors; values, customs , prejudice and discrimination

Goals
Biomed
* Cure disease, limit disability, and reduce risk factors to prevent disease in individuals

Social
* Prevent illness and reduce health inequities to aim for an equality of health outcomes

Benefits
Biomed
* addresses disease and disability of individuals
* prevention of disease through immunisation

Social

• Addresses social determinants of health and illness
• Identifies policy solutions to prevent disease through interventions beyond the health system