Sociology of Health and Illness - Essay Example

? The Smythe family- Rupert al affiliation The Smythe family- Rupert The Smythe family is typical of many families in society today. The loss of William’s job marked the onset of predicaments for the family, in particular they had to sell their house and move into rented accommodation in a less affluent. It is apparent that the whole family is undergoing a very difficult time and the children, who are used to the good life, are likely to undergo tough times adjusting to their new lifestyle. This essay will focus on Rupert, the family’s eldest son. He is thirteen years old and, until three months ago, attended a prestigious single sex school. From the family’s financial problems, it became extremely difficult for Rupert to adjust to the entire situation. Rupert’s situation can only be understood through highlighting factors anti-discriminatory practice and empowerment, psychological factors, health promotion and communication, multi-professional working and Sociology of health and illness. Anti-discriminatory practice and empowerment Rupert seems to be undergoing stigma and isolation in an attempt to deal with the family situation. Aymer & Okitikpi (2009) state that, feelings of stigma and isolation for extensive periods emanate from the fact that the individual has been through stress and depression. On the other hand, Parker & Penhale (2007) indicate that feelings of stigma and discrimination in society are the result of Rupert’s withdrawal symptoms from other persons in the society. It is justified to argue that Rupert is undergoing segregation from his friends of his former social class and finding his way within another social class has proven to be an uphill task. Consequently, Rupert is developing issues with his social skills and perceives everything in society as negative. In response, Rupert cuts down on communication with his parents and is completely alienated from his family’s life. Rupert’s life revolves around discriminating feelings that direct him to engage in activities that tend to resolve his problems. Stigmatization of Rupert has resulted in adverse withdrawal symptoms that exacerbate the weakness in his ability to survive in tough conditions. Rupert can be said to portray attributes of shame, segregation, blame, and discrimination in the society according to Davies (2000). At the family level, Rupert feels that he is the ‘black sheep’ and leading a secret life; in his perception it is the best solution to his predicaments. Rupert should be empowered to go beyond his feelings of disappointment and act towards making his life better. Empowerment has been credited for its ability to direct individuals towards moving beyond their stressors to achieving their goals and objectives as supported by Jones (2004). Psychological factors Psychological factors are useful in the explaining of Rupert’s changed behavior. Durand & Barlow (2011) indicate that individuals are rational beings who have the ability to weigh options before embarking on any move. In addition, Shumake, Ockene & Riekert (2008) argue that it is almost obvious that individuals act in accordance with their own interests. The move by Rupert to alienate himself from his family is simply an irrational decision. Studies done by Salk (1914) on cognitive simplification process in decision making indicate, that most individuals are prone to error in making choices. In this case, it is vital that individuals weigh all options before making the final decision regarding dilemmatic situations. Salk also suggests that life is an error-making and an error-correcting process. Emotions, according to psychologists, play a great role in influencing an individual’s decision making. Schneider (2010) indicates that if a person is in a low mood, they tend to make unreasonable decisions that at most extreme circumstances can cost them their life. In this case, Rupert made has used poor judgment into making decisions that makes him more vulnerable than previously. He has in turn resulted into indulgence in drugs and portrays anti-social behaviors, to an extent that, the police had to intrude in his case. Psychologists also indicate that human beings are more inclined to be loss averse, as indicated by the continuous efforts of individuals to prevent occurrences of losses rather than shifting energies to acquire gains. In this case, Rupert is much more concerned with eliminating his problems in an inappropriate way, rather than shifting his energies to fitting in with his current situation. Schneider (2010) argues that the behaviors portrayed by individuals are motivated by sensations of the individuals. An alteration of those perceptions might be beneficial in eliminating the individual’s habit. In the case of Rupert, it would be of benefit for his parents to divert his attention from the negative attributes of life to the positive. Health promotion and Change Communication According to Conrad (2008), communication approaches are vital in alleviating acquired behaviors in individuals. Through communication strategies, it is possible that individuals are likely to deal with acquired behaviors, such as drug addiction. Arkin (2009) argues that health promotion is only possible through an understanding of the behavioral theories and models of behavioral change. In response, Rupert’s behavioral change can only be changed through a comprehensive study and analysis of his behavior. In this case, it is possible to find solutions that would be of assistance to him. Studies indicate that health practitioners are in a better position to offer help through scrutinizing, assessing and analyzing a particular situation. Gabe & Bury (2004) reported that communicating change in the course of health promotion allows individuals to learn how desirable behavior is vital in developing change. Through communicating change, individuals tend to have a clearer picture on the problems facing them. Individuals go through self-search; thus, incorporate them in decision making process during coming up with strategies that would be beneficial in curbing change in their environment. It is important that individuals learn that behavior change is only possible if the environment is conducive enough to sustain change. Positive response behavior, is only possible if clear information is passed on both short term and long term (such as, in Rupert case, understanding the implications of drug and substance abuse). Nettleton (2006) argued that the communication model is, therefore, instrumental in passing information that leads to change in individuals as well as in the society at large. Multi-professional working Rimer, Viswanath & Glanz (2008) indicated that, multi-professional working has a great relationship with the individual’s current health status. Since Rupert has been experimenting with cannabis and alcohol, there is a great likelihood that the situation might get worse if his parents do not take action to solve the problem with immediate effect. Alleviation of such health issues is only possible if individuals and all concerned stakeholders take up collective responsibility to solve the problem at hand. According to Callahan (2001) recent studies indicate that global policy documents advocate for multi-professional working in health promotion. Shedding more light on the issue, Bartholomew, et al (2011) argues that health promotion is only possible if all parties are committed to alleviating the health issues at hand. In the case of Rupert, solving his substance abuse must start with him, before going to the other stakeholders in the health sector. Rupert must also be willing to avoid a repeat of the whole situation if the multi-professional is to be effective. Sociology of health and illness The sociology of health and illness scrutinizes the relationship between health issues and society at large. According to Hornik (2002), society plays an important role in determining a myriad of health issues. For instance, the family is a social institution and family problems surrounding plays a great role in determining health and illness issues. This argument concurs with the case of Rupert who is more inclined to solving his family related problems and ultimately, he ends up finding refuge in drugs and substance abuse. Rupert also considers Macdonald & Bunton (2002) indicated that sociology of health issues sheds light on aspects of sources of illnesses and the best ways of dealing with these problems is within the individuals. In Rupert’s case, it would be beneficial if he undergoes counseling programs to prevent a situation in that he may end up being addicted to drugs. An occurrence of addiction would only make the situation worse for the individual and society at large. Merson & Mills (2006) argued that through the sociology of health and illnesses, various forms of behaviors that cause health issues are scrutinized, for instance drug and substance abuse, and consequently, to come up with solutions on health issues. In Conclusion, change of status is the major causative agent to the breakdown of Smythe’s family. In the case of Rupert, his inability to handle this change is the major factor that has led to his withdrawal symptoms and development of antisocial behavior. In order to deal with Rupert’s case counseling must be recommended so as to allow him go through self-search, and then come up with the best solution. References Arkin, E, 2009, Making Health Communication Programs Work, London: DIANE Publishing Aymer, C, & Okitikpi, T, 2009, Key Concepts in Anti-Discriminatory Social Work, London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Bartholomew, et al, 2011, Planning Health Promotion Programs: An Intervention Mapping Approach, New York: John Wiley and Sons. Callahan, D, 2001, Promoting healthy behavior: how much freedom? Whose responsibility?, Georgetown: Georgetown University Press. Conrad, P, 2008, The Sociology of Health and Illness, New York: Worth Publishers. Davies, M, 2000, The Blackwell encyclopaedia of social work, New York: Wiley-Blackwell. Durand, H, & Barlow, D, 2011, Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach, London: Cengage Learning. Gabe, J, & Bury, M, 2004, The sociology of health and illness: a reader, London: Routledge. Hornik, R, 2002, Public health communication: evidence for behavior change, London: Routledge. Jones, R, 2004, Oxford textbook of primary medical care, Volume 1, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Macdonald, G, & Bunton, R, 2002, Health promotion: disciplines, diversity, and developments, London: Routledge. Merson, M, & Mills, A, 2006, International public health: diseases, programs, systems, and policies, New York: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Nettleton, S, 2006, The sociology of health and illness, London: Polity. Parker, J, & Penhale, B, 2007, Working with Vulnerable Adults, London: Routledge. Rimer, K, Viswanath, K, & Glanz, K, 2008, Health behavior and health education: theory, research, and practice, New York: John Wiley and Sons. Schneider, M, 2010, Introduction to Public Health, New York: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Shumake, A, Ockene, J, & Riekert, K, 2008, The handbook of health behavior change, New York: Springer Publishing Company. Read More