CHAPTER 10 HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE

1. CHAPTER 10HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE

2. Functionalist View of Illness • Illness is a form of deviance, in that it keeps individuals from performing their normal social roles • Allowing some illness is good for social stability because it acts as a sort of “pressure valve” for society (Brinkerhoff et al, pp. 223-24)

3. “The sick role refers to four social norms regarding how sick people should behave and how society should view them” (Brinkerhoff et al, p. 224).

4. Sick Role • “First, sick persons are assumed to have legitimate reasons for not fulfilling their normal social roles” (Brinkerhoff et al, p. 224).

5. Sick Role • “Second, cultural norms declare that individuals are not responsible for the illnesses” (Brinkerhoff et al, p. 224).

6. Sick Role • “Third, sick persons are expected to consider sickness undesirable and work to get well” (Brinkerhoff et al, p. 224).

7. Sick Role • Fourth, “sick persons should seek and follow medical advice” (Brinkerhoff et al, p. 224).

8. Conflict Perspective of Illness • “Medicalization refers to the process through which a condition or behavior becomes defined as a medical problem requiring a medical solution” (Brinkerhoff et al, p. 225).

9. “Social epidemiology is the study of how social statuses relate to the distribution of illness and mortality” (Brinkerhoff et al, sixth edition, p 266).

10. Three modes of paying for health care: • private payments • insurance • government