Week 1 Notes

Question 1

According to the biomedical model, health is the…

Answer 1

absence of physical illness and disease

Question 2

What are the 5 defining Characteristics of the Biomedical Model

Answer 2

1. Body Dualism
2. Machine Metaphor
3. Technological imperative
4. Physical reductionism
5. Doctrine of specific etiology

Question 3

What is the Cartesian Mind/Body Dualism

Answer 3

The body and mind are separate. Medical practitioners treat the body separate from the mind

Question 4

What is the Machine Metaphor

Answer 4

Body is viewed as a machine made up of discrete parts

Question 5

What is the Technological Imperative

Answer 5

Treatment is primarily though pharmacological or surgical interventions

Question 6

What is Physical Reductionism

Answer 6

reduction of all symptoms to the physical workings of the body, there is no attention to social, environmental… ect factors

Question 7

What is the Doctrine of Specific Etiology

Answer 7

Disease is assumed to originate from specific and knowledgeable causes

Question 8

How would you cure illness according to the biomedical model?

Answer 8

Surgery, medicals, behaviour modifications, health education and immunizations

Question 9

What are the criticisms of the biomedical model?

Answer 9

1. Disease is very complex
2. Objectification and medical scientism (not seeing people in an ideal way)
3. down plays the rol of social factors
4. victim blaming

Question 10

Biological Determinism

Answer 10

belief that behaviour and social status is an inevitable part of biology

Question 11

Victim blaming

Answer 11

social inequality is explained in terms of individuals being solely responsible for what happens to them in relation to the choices they make and their assumed “inferiority”

Question 12

According to the sociological model health is …

Answer 12

socially determined and socially experienced

Question 13

According to the sociological model the causation of disease is…

Answer 13

the result of social-structural inequalities

Question 14

According to the biomedical model, disease is caused by…

Answer 14

a measurable pathology of the physical body, which is the result of malfunctioning parts of the body

Question 15

According to the sociological model, income = ?

Answer 15

Health.

poorer individuals/countries exhibit higher rate of illness and lower life expectancies

Question 16

What are the three defining characteristics of the social model of health

Answer 16

1. social production/distribution of health
2. social construction of health and illness
3. social organization of health care

Question 17

Social Production/distribution of health and illness

Answer 17

Illness often derives from an individuals social environment

“risk imposing factors” = social conditions that produce illness or risk illness

Question 18

Social Construction of Health and Illness

Answer 18

What is considered an illness or disease can vary among cultures and change over time

ex. Homosexuality

Question 19

Social organization of health care

Answer 19

the way health services are funded and organized influence health and illness

ex. Dominance of physicians - 1/4 of people will experience mental illness

Question 20

How would you cure illness according to the social model of health

Answer 20

1. public policy
2. state intervention
3. community participation, advocacy and political lobbying

Question 21

What are some criticisms of the social model?

Answer 21

1. utopian idea
2. over emphasis on harm of medicine
3. solutions to problems are complex, costly and difficult to implement
4. under emphasis of individual responsibility