P2: Explain different sociological approaches to health and illness.

1. P2: Explain different sociological approaches to health and illness. Learning Outcome(s):

2. Functionalism • They are concerned with the smooth running of society and examine how health and illness help society by looking at the relationship between the sick person and society as a whole. • Sociologists believe that the sickness is a social construct which focuses on a pattern of behaviour adopted by individuals in order to minimise the disruptive impact of the illness, whilst they are unable to carry out their normal function.

3. Functionalism • When an individual adopts the sick role they are given certain rights but also obligations, which are legitimised by medical personnel, who allow individuals who are ill, sufficient time to withdraw from societies day to day routines, through confirmation that they are ill. In contrast, medical personnel also protect society from individuals who would give the opportunity abuse the system.

4. Marxism • Marxists feel that health and illness benefit capitalism (free enterprise) through effective medicine. There are three main benefits from medicine. Marxism is related to the dominant bio-medical model of health and some would say it is similar to capitalism, which stresses individual responsibility.

5. Radical Feminism How? Women usually find accessing contraceptive services and even having an abortion difficult A lack of availability and conditions of certain services such as the morning after pill. Rape and domestic violence are seen as a female problem and of no fault of male violence.

6. Feminism • This perspective is concerned with women’s unequal position in society relative to our male counterpart. Feminists try to explain how we have come to this situation, but also how it has been maintained. • Many feminists believe that a great deal of attention for medicine, health and illness focuses on reproduction, maternity and childbirth.

7. Radical Feminism cont’d There is a strong medicalization of pregnancy and childbirth in terms of women are given strict guidelines as to what they can eat and drink and the information can be confusing and contradictory.

8. Liberal Feminism • Liberal Feminism looks at healthcare differently, as they say that men dominate all aspects of health and illness, especially in terms of job roles. Many males occupy the higher positions of responsibilities within health and social care, with women having a lesser roles, generally linked to their day to day home roles, where they are seen as carers. They may work in areas such as paediatrics, psychiatry and geriatrics. • Liberalists would say that certain conditions are more likely to be ascribed to women than men. For example, if a man and woman were diagnosed with depression and anxiety. A man would be said to be stressed and a woman would be said to be suffering from a mental illness.

9. Marxist Feminism • Marxist Feminists would say that medicine is used to maintain social order and social relationships. A capitalist society benefits from the women’s role to reproduce, as the children will aid our future workforce. • This model supports the Bio-Medical Model as individuality of one’s illness is given, however fails to take into account the social factors of health.

10. Interactionism • Interactionism focuses on the relationship between health, it’s meaning, impact and consequences have on an individual’s life. They are also interested in the relationship between doctors and individual service users, when defining illness. • They believe disease is a social construct. So, what does this mean? • Most diseases have a set of causes, as well as symptoms. However, this is not the case for all of them. For example, when chronic fatigue syndrome was first diagnosed in the early nineties, many Doctors found it difficult to diagnose and sociologists would then define individuals claiming to have chronic fatigue as displaying social deviant behaviour. • However, research has also suggested that people with long term conditions and even disabilities, do not readily identify themselves as having an illness. This also can be said to link to the Clinical Iceberg…How? • Not everyone chooses to define themselves as ill and will visit a doctor.

11. Postmodernism • Everyday in the mass media, there are many cases demonstrating how much society has changed over the past two centuries. There are many statistics to support the fact that people are living longer today. Why do you think this is?

12. Postmodernism • Some of the factors you may have mentioned include: • Nutrition • Preventative medicine • Technological advances and • Safer working practise. • There is a belief amongst many sociologists that the mass media only perpetuates individuals to take many meanings from the images we are subjected to on day to day basis and that as individuals we alone are in charge and able to shape our own lives. Healthcare is a commodity which is solely for financial profit. In our society, we have seen the growth of plastic surgery, which some people put themselves through in order to aspire to the mass media ideals of beauty. There has also been a growth in the leisure industry (health clubs, gym, holistic and alternative medicine shops) all allow the individual to exercise choice in their day to day lives.