Lesson four - Concepts of health and illness

Starter activity On your tables discuss

What does it mean to be healthy?

Get ready to feedback to the rest of the group

SociologyUnit 7

Concepts of healthConcepts of illness

Sick role Clinical Iceberg

In the next 3 sessions we will be working towards assignment 2.

• P2 – explain different sociological approaches to health and ill health

• M1 – assess bio-medical and socio-medical models of health

So what are our Learning Objectives for today?• To define ‘Health’ and ‘Illness’• To consider a range of definitions of health including negative and

positive • To apply sociological perspectives to health and social care.

What is healthy?So we all have ideas about what it means to healthy.

But what do sociologists think?

Sociologists have distinguished between positive health and ill health.

Lets take at look and what they have come up with…

“…not the mere absence of disease, but total physical, mental and social well being.”

WHO (1974) define health positively as…

What this means is that each concept of health is related.

On your tables discuss what each area might include, highlight your ideas with an example.

Use your handouts to complete this activity.

What is spiritual health?

Does everyone have it?

What effects it?

What is spiritual health?

Does everyone have it? What effects it?

In what way can society effect your

health?

How would you describe your physical health?

What effects your physical health?

How would you describe your psychological (emotional/ mental)

health?

What effects your psychological health?

CONSIDER......

If positive health refers to the overall wellbeing of a person.

Then the whole of the person must always be considered.

This is known as Holistic therapy and is an approach adopted by many Social Care professionals.

The Holistic approach considers the WHOLE PERSON and the WHOLE RANGE of possible needs.

“The condition in which there is an absence of disease or disability”

A negative definition of health is..

1. How might it be possible to be ill but healthy?

2. Can you be unhealthy but not ill?

What do you think?On your tables answer the two questions below

The Clinical Iceberg

According to the clinical iceberg not all illnesses are reported to a doctor.

Time for a little recapOn your table discuss the perspectives that we have

covered.

Can your remember who says what?

Place the correct description next to the perspective.

Perspective Overview

Functionalism Each part of society has a part to play, in order for our society to survive, each of them must work in harmony together. A little like the organs of a human body.

Marxism Society is split between the rich and the poor. The rich continue to become richer and therefore control society, whilst the poor become poorer and carry on working for the rich. This is known as communism.

Feminism There is a split between society, an inequality between two groups which relates in one constantly being mistreated.

Interactionism To understand society we must look at how people interpret situations and behave in small-group face-to-face situations.

Does any one remember what the sick role is?

Working with the person next to you, come up with three ways in which illness and health affects the way society functions.

According to this approach, society is a collection of parts/ functions, so when someone becomes sick, they now take on the ‘sick role’ and impacts other areas of society

FUNCTIONALIST APPROACH

Talcott Parsons Sick Role

Talcott Parsons says that being ‘sick’ is a socially conditioned role.

He says we behave in a certain way once we know we are ‘sick’.

Parsons said that society applies ‘rules’ to people who are ill.

The sick person AND the society have obligations:

Sick Person: To seek appropriate medical help AND to want to get better.

Society: To excuse the sick person from normal social roles (e.g. worker, mother etc) AND to not hold the patient responsible for their condition AND for the sick person to be taken care of

The sick role is a functionalist theory. It is a functionalist theory because he believed that society sees people as having a function and so if they don’t perform that function they are going to stop society functioning properly.

If this person is sick then they cannot put into society in the way they usually do

A functionalist would want the sick person to get better so they can start contributing to society again.

Society

If you were the person in the sick role, what roles would YOU be exempt from? What would you be excused from having to do?

List all the roles you have in life, and describe how you would be excused from doing them.

Over to you!Discuss in your groups

Put your ideas on as sticky note and stick them on the picture.

Lets go back to the obligations of the sick person:

To seek appropriate medical help AND to want to get better. How many people don’t seek medical help?

What reasons do they have? (Hint, think of the clinical iceberg.

Analysing The Sick Role

Do sick people always want to get better?

Can you think of any situations when they don’t.

• No, they are sometimes naughty!! • Interferes with their benefits. • Institutionalised. • Can’t cope without the medical help. • Addicted to the medication (pain

killers, no condition then no medication!)

Functionalist perspective in relation to health is that illness has a social consequence and must be dealt with quickly so that society can again run smoothly.

Lets summarise!

Think about what you have learnt about the Marxist approach.

Try and explain in a short sentence what their approach to health might be.

Do this individually and be ready to feedback to the group.

Marxist approach to health

• BOURGEOISIE (DOCTORS) AND THE PROLETARIAT (PATIENTS).

• It is argued that the doctors’ main aim is to get the sick back into work as soon as possible as it is in the best interests of those in power.

• The Marxist approach believes they do this rather than putting the needs of the patient first

Marxist approach to health

Doctor: Bourgeoisie

Patient: Proletariat

Doctors are being controlled by the people on top, their aim is to get people back into work as quickly as possible.Not the needs of the patient.

NOT ONLY THIS BUT Marxists argue that the government allow (encourage) big companies to make big profits from products that cause ill health…Tobacco, alcohol, junk food…serves the interests of the ruling class.

• There is a higher level of sickness, illness and disease amongst the poorer classes in society in comparison to the richer in the higher classes.

• They also argue that the government do not do enough to tackle ill health as this costs money and the rich will have to pay.

Other Marxist Beliefs:

• This approach gives most attention to issues of health and social care because it concentrates on the small group and individual opinions.

IT IS CONCERNED WITH:• The process that leads a person to say they are ill – some deny it,

some just carry on, and some seek help.

INTERACTIONISTS

• The interaction between the patient and the health professionals is also considered by this approach.

• The process of agreeing the patient is ill, the severity of the illness, signing off work, treatment, medication etc.• Interactionists believe that social relationships have as

much influence as any medical diagnosis on whether or not people declare themselves to be ill or not.

How can we relate this to this working mum?

Lets brainstormWith the person next to you think about what factors might influence a woman's health?

Hint: Think about the physical and emotional

• Feminists believe the medical professions are dominated by males and this has an impact on women.

• They are concerned that pregnancy and childbirth are considered ‘medical issues’ and sometimes ‘illness’ as opposed to natural processes.

• Low priority given to male contraception.• Females are responsible for contraception.

• Because women are ‘exploited’ in society – there are higher numbers of women with mental health issues such as depression, anxiety.

FEMINIST APPROACH

• Females are likely to have extra caring responsibilities – looking after elderly relatives, children etc

• Females are exploited and so have more pressure on them in terms of body image, hence higher rates of eating disorders.

FEMINIST APPROACH