The Sociology of Health and Illness - Essay Example

Health and Sociology Name Course Date Introduction Sociologists define health as “a state of complete wellbeing, physical, mental, and emotional”. The field of sociology places more emphasis on being free from diseases and also acknowledges that health of the body is dependent on a healthy environment and stability of the mind. Sociologists also recognize the role of society in sickness and assume that for the society to be functional, people must be healthy and diseases must be controlled (Germov, 2013). Major theoretical perspectives on health and illness have been contributed to by functionalism and Weberianism. This essay seeks to compare the two theories and how they have contributed the knowledge of health practitioners. Functionalism theory This theory was conceived by Talcon Parsons (1951). According to the functionalism approach, for a society to function, there must be good health and medical care that is effective. This is because ill health impairs the ability of persons to effectively perform their different roles in the society and therefore if several people are unwell in the society, the general functioning of the society may be affected and consequently the society’s stability may suffer. Parsons gave an example of how ill health may cause premature deaths and this may prevent members of the society from fully carrying out their social roles. This may reflect poor return to the society considering the costs incurred during pregnancy, child birth, caring for children and socialization costs for those who die early. Poor medical care also contributes to the society being dysfunctional because when people fall ill, they will not easily became healthy and people who are healthy are at risk of falling sick (Annandale, 2014). Parsons also explained that for one to be legitimately considered sick, Parsons explained several expectations that need to be met which he referred to as the ‘sick role’. The first is that it should be perceived as if the person has caused the health problem for themselves. For example, of a person suffers heart attack due to obesity resulting from eating high fat foods, the person should not receive less empathy than another one who had maintained proper nutrition. The other expectation is that those who are sick must want to get well. But if they do not want, they are perceived as if they are faking the illness and they stop being legitimately considered ill by the society or those who know them. The third expectation is that the sick people need to have their sicknesses confirmed by a physician or any other health professional, and they must follow the instructions of the professional for them to become healthy. If they fail to follow the instructions, the sick loses the legitimate right to perform the sick role (Cockerham, 2005). Parsons explained that if a sick person meets these three expectations, the person will be treated as a sick person by the family, friends and other people who know them, and will therefore be exempted from their normal obligations. Sometimes they may be told by their families to remain in bed even times when they feel they can remain active. Generally, the functionalist theory requires that for a smooth functioning society, health is a prerequisite. Sickness is failure to perform an individual’s role in the society and is therefore considered an ‘unmotivated deviance’. The theory uses two concepts; ‘sick role’ and ‘social control’. Sick role being the conditions required for the person to be legitimately considered sick while the social control refers to the role of physicians to allow the person to acquire the sick status. Weberianism perspective Weber’s perspective on health and illness take from Marxist perspective of capitalism created through forces of production. In the modern capitalist society, production has led to division of labor which has created different social classes in the society. This kind of organization has created the infrastructure of the society made up of systems such as the legal system, the political, educational, and health system. Marx associates this kind of organization with social origin of disease where he asserts that the health outcomes in the society are influenced by how a capitalist economic system operates by exposing people to diseases during processing as well consumption of the processed foods (Max, 1968). Max Weber uses this concept of social classes but defines the classes as a group of people who share a specific causal component in their life chances. Weber explains this component as concerning their economic interests regarding how they possess goods and the opportunities they have to earn income, factors that appear in the labor market. He further explains that the effect of this class situation become apparent due to the connection between its effects and the consequences. Those who possess material resources due to the advantage they have in the market place bear unique qualities in terms their standards of living, what Weber referred to as “life-chances”. Weber also came up with the concept of “life choices” as a component of lifestyle which he used to refer to “the self-direction of one’s behavior”. It also means the course of action that one chooses in managing own life (Max, 1930). Weber used the two concepts to explain the wide disparities in health that exist among different social classes in the society. According to the Weberian perspective, healthy lifestyles are a combination of health-related behavior which is based on choices people make from the available options according to their life chances. Life choices are alternatives while life chances are a kind of structure. Regarding health and illness, the Weberian perspective is that even though health is voluntary, people’s life chances which result from class positions limit the chances of people in accessing health. Those in the higher social classes are able to adopt healthy lifestyles characterized by access to extensive health services and goods (Cockerham, 2007). Similarities between the two theories The two theories focus on defining role of heath in the society. Functionalism views good health as critical to proper functioning of the society where every person is able to carry out his or her duties in the society. The theory also states the roles of the people as well as that of the medical practitioners in ensuring a healthy society. On the other hand, Weberianism attributes health to choices that people make in their lives according to the options available to them. How the two theories contrast The difference between the two perspectives is that functionalism looks at how ill health contributes to failure of the society to function properly while Weberianism attributes health problems to the failure of the society which has been due to the effects of the social classes created by capitalism in the society. However, the functionalist’s perspective is that failure of members of the society to play their roles in maintaining health is the cause of dysfunctional society. But on the other hand, Weberianism perspective is that it is the social classes in the society that have caused ill health that will contribute to a dysfunctional society (White, 2002). Contribution of the two perspectives to the knowledge of health practitioners The views of functionalism are that physicians have a role in maintaining health of the people. They must do a proper diagnosis to the ill person and treat it until the person gets well. To achieve this, they must win the cooperation of the patient so that the patient can follow the instructions of the physician. The theory therefore explains that the patient and the physician are in a hierarchical relationship where the physician is required to give orders and instructions to the patient, who is in turn expected to follow them. The functionalist perspective expects that health practitioners must portray a high level of knowledge and skills when dealing with illnesses. This is because their role is to maintain health of the people for the functionality of the society. Health practitioners must also always act on the welfare of the sick members of the society and not their own interests. They must therefore be objective while carrying out their duties of maintaining health, be non-judgmental and emotionally detached. Functionalists also require that health practitioners need to carry their duties following the rules of medical practice as well as the code of conduct (McDonnell, et al., 2009). Weberianism points to the role of all persons including health practitioners in maintaining social order. This would help eliminate the social disparities that contribute to limited choices for healthy lifestyle that members of some social classes have access to. Medical practitioners therefore have a duty to promote equality in access to healthcare across members of different social classes. Medical practitioners can help this by offering equal treatment to all patients and ensuring that all people remain healthy despite their social classes. Conclusion The sociological perspectives of health and illness play a great role by focusing on the social causes of ill-health and the resulting effects on the society. By pointing out the different roles different persons should play in maintaining good health, this would help to end the disparities in that exist in healthcare. References Germov, J. (2013). Second Opinion; An Introduction to Health Sociology, fifth edition. Melbourne: Oxford University Press Cockerham, W. (2007). Social Causes of Health and Disease. Polity: Birmingham. White, K. (2002). An introduction to the sociology of health and illness. London: Sage Publications. Max, W. (1968). Economy and Society: Part I and II, trans. by Fishoff et al.Berkeley, CA: The University of California Press. Max, W. (1930). The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, trans. by Talcott Parsons. Los Angeles, CA: Roxbury Publishing. Cockerham, W. (2005). Health Lifestyle Theory and the Convergence of Agency and Structure. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 46:51. Annandale, E. (2014).The Sociology of Health and Medicine: A Critical Introduction, 2nd Edition. NY: Wiley. McDonnell, O., Lohan, M., Hyde, A. & Porter, S. (2009). Social Theory, Health and Healthcare. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Read More