Social Class and Social Patterning of Illness: Contemporary Health Issues - Term Paper Example

Contemporary health issues Name: Institution: Date: Introduction A sociological mechanism to health care changes the focus from sick people to a broader social aspect; hence a sociology understanding allows healthcare workers to understand the wider social forces that influence people, critically assess the diverse ways that the societal world might shape the health and illness experience, and reflect on how arrangements of health care impact on the person’s health and illness experience (Germov, 2009). Someone is considered healthy when they have a complete state of wellbeing; emotional, mental, and physical. This description puts weight on the significance of being freer from disease, and appreciates that a body that is healthy depends upon a stable mind and an environment that is healthy. Sociology believes that a functioning community depends upon people who are healthy and upon managing illness. This paper will illustrate the sociological concepts to modern health and social structure and human agency’s influence on the organization of health care and health outcomes Health and illness sociologists’ concern Various sociologists identify behavior patterns, meanings and principles so as to uncover the relations connecting people’s lives and social impacts, hence depicting how such happening are the consequence of social structure at any given time. Contemporary health and illness sociologists apply perspectives and methods of sociology to understand the social implications of illness; patterns in the health and illness distribution; the methods individuals make sense of, look for help, and control their sickness; the methods nurses, doctors, and sick people interact with one another, including the transforming nature of professions related to health; organizational, economic, and cultural functioning of different institutions of healthcare; social movements in which health evolves, including the methods a number of deviant actions are medicalized as others are not; and the effects of sociology concerning public policy on the outcomes of health (Germov, 2009). Sociological theories and perspectives to modern health issues The various approaches on the issues of health and sickness can be depicted in a number of the earliest research and writings of so.ciology. For instance, one of the sociologists called Emile Durkheim carried out a research of suicide. While people might assume that suicide is an exclusive personal act, Durkheim believed that suicide can be comprehended in a social view. He discovered significant predictive features connecting to how powerfully people are incorporated into their own community; outcomes that echo modern ideas regarding suicide (Germov, 2009). His ideas then developed functionalism. This is the theoretical method that views the wide structures of society to create ideas concerning social functioning. Socialization takes place within this perspective whereby people learn the group’s rules and every member of the society has a task to play. Industrial revolution also resulted into different perspective regarding society and health. Two sociologists named Frederick Engels and Karl Marx developed a dissimilar approach on how to understand society. They viewed society in terms of conflict, and not consensus. Engels documented that the poor health of people in the big cities was due to factories and effects of overcrowding, poor sanitation and working conditions that were unsafe. Both Engels and Marx concentrated on the methods that society is significantly unequal and on how the inequality is clear in health and illness patterns (Germov, 2009). Some writers argue that outcomes of better health can only be attained when there is elimination of material situations of disadvantaged groups. In evaluating the social structure of health and sickness, “the sick role” was identified by sociologist named Talcott Parsons. In this perspective, Parsons recognizes four constituents of the sick role. These components explain that; a person who is sick is not accountable for being sick, not accountable for normal tasks, is not able to like the role, and not supposed to look for help in order to be out of the role. Society permits the people who meet these criteria to presuppose the sick role, however, the society drops sympathy for and restricts the role to the people who seem to like it or the people who do not look for treatment (Morrall, 2001). In some situations, friends and family might show sympathy for some time, but they lose tolerance with the victim and presume they are attention seekers or are hypochondriac. Although a lot of people assumed that science alone establishes sickness, this sociological perspective considers that society also determines sickness. For instance, the culture describes diseases as lawful if they have an obvious laboratory or scientific diagnosis, like heart disease or cancer. During the past years, society regarded conditions like dependency which may be alcohol or drug-based, as personality weakness, and denied the people who underwent through this dependency the sick role (Morrall, 2001). Currently, programs of drug rehabilitation and the wider culture normally identify addictions as an illness. In the current culture, addicts might take on the sick role provided they look for help and make efforts towards moving out of the sick role. Another sociologist who contributed towards understanding of sociology and the contemporary health and illness is Max Weber. He developed the views of Marx by expanding the knowledge of inequality. According to him, inequality did not just concern beliefs, values, economics and ideas. Weber illustrated the significance of understanding the chances in life as an essential factor which is status (Germov, 2009). He also illustrated the significance of cluster membership called party. Therefore, according to Weber, social inequality is understood by focusing on party, status and class. Sociologist Erving Goffman also provides a clear understanding on the illness experience within the contemporary societies. He uses the perspective of stigma to identify the procedures through which a number of people, clusters or specific diseases may be stigmatized (Germov, 2009). According to Goffman, stigma occurs in an identity that is spoiled. This perspective helps people to understand the experience of disability, mental illness and infections that are sexually transmitted. Equally, the labeling concept, where an individual’s behavior is viewed in terms of deviant or medical label, instead of personal characteristics, also helps in knowing the experience of, and reaction to, issue of health and illness. The influence of social structure and human agency on health care organization and health outcomes Social structure simply means the social relationships’ pattern in a society (Morrall, 2001). Social structure concept appears to be amongst the great components of social sciences. To create a link that connects health and social structure, there are various social factors that need to be considered. These include factors like the corporate structure, political economy, economic and social power, and the resource distribution. Social structure, in terms of health hence is influenced by power. People who highly professional may tend to influence the health care organization due to their power. In evaluating the issue of social structure and human agency with regards to health care organization and health outcomes, some factors are greatly depicted. The major factor of social structure significant to health is essentially the nature of inequality within the social structure (Germov, 2009). Through inequality, the factor of class is seen. Social class is still a major concept that links health and social structure (Scambler, 2006). The probabilistic cascade concept expresses the manner in which things can develop over time, making people to be exposed to various types of risks and beneficial at dissimilar times in life’s cycle or course (Scambler, 2006). Some argue that there is no means of measuring and conceptualizing class that will give a narrative that is single and satisfactory. In every society, there seems to be a social class. Social class provides a great influence to many issues such as health (Willis & Elmer, 2007). Three types of class include lower, middle and upper class. The lower class group comprises of people who are poor, homeless, and they are generally unemployed. People in this group suffer a lot form lack of food, medical care, clothing, safety and adequate housing. Regarding health care organization, they get the least job ranks in health care facilities. Occasionally, the available health care facilities are too expensive for them to afford which makes them vulnerable to poor health. The second category which is the middle class comprises of people who are sandwiched between the lower and the upper class. These people in the society can partially impact the way healthcare is carried out. This is because majority of them are not poor and will therefore seek some of the best health care facilities and even have good ranks in the health care organizations. Through this, their health outcome is managed. The last category is the upper class. This class has the richest people in the society. This people are very influential and have power in almost everything within the social structure (Schulz & Mullings, 2006). They often have the best lifestyle. Majority of them visit the best health care facilities in the world hence management of their health is significantly managed. Some argue that it is essential for nurses to have a critical awareness of the methods in which people are shaped by social environment, while simultaneously shaping it throughout their behavior. A critical approach of social constructionist recognizes the methods in which people can bridge the dissimilarities involving theories that situate clarifications in social structure and hypothesis that concentrate on the individual. Social constructionism needs a critical perspective so as to reflect on the relations of power that run within health and illness (Germov, 2009). How people react to variations in status of health may be based on the unfairness or inequitability of the differential experience. Inequity of health means the inequalities in health considered to be unfair or originating from a number of features of injustice (Germov, 2009). Hence, equity in health concerns making people able to get equitable services on grounds of needs. It also concerns the capacities, resources and power they are supposed to act upon the situations of their lives that establish their health. An approach in sociology considers the manner that an individual’s social location may influence their life, and specifically their health. Social structure connects to people’s position as associates of a particular social class, gender, indigenous or ethnic group (Schulz & Mullings, 2006). Based on social determinants of health, life chances bring about the issue of how health of people is influenced through their relation of specific social group. Social determinants include housing, security, education, income, sanitation and food (Williams, 2003). Research indicates that people who have the best social determinants of health are likely to be healthier (Dean & Fenton, 2010). These kinds of individuals are classified in the upper class within the social structure. This means that they are safe, have a close and good attachment with their family members; have adequate housing, good income, quality sanitation, and proper food hence their health status is good. The health outcome of these people is normally good because they have the best things in life. On the other hand, people who belong in the lower class face a lot of health issues because social determinants of health in the world are generally poor. For instance, they have poor sanitation, insufficient food supply, inadequate housing and low incomes. This generally affects the health outcomes of these people. Belonging to a particular social class is not just an objective reality, but is normally accompanied by an insight of class identity (Wright, 2003). With regards to this, social class is not just a personal characteristic, but a relative variable that defines a cluster of people as well. The communal culture of a specific class controls, and is controlled by, attitudes of people’s attitudes and lifestyle. Social class, thus, influences health. Some scholars contend that the position of a person at birth is changed by their achievement, basically through factors like education, income, or occupation (Wright, 2003). This means that there is no direct measure of class. Instead, socioeconomic status indicators, characteristically based on wealth, income, educational attainment, or occupation, are applied. While some would regard these to be perfect indicators of social class, they however indicate constant relations with status of health, in a way that less educated or poorer individuals die younger and go through more disability and illness compared to the more educated or richer people (Fein, 1995). Health care is regarded as a social institution. Health care provision is seen as a large industry and modern health care is costly. The manner that a society arranges provision of health care is analytic of the principles that society maintains regarding individual and social responsibility, cure against prevention and, most significantly, the degree to which commercial interests can exercise power over the establishment of illness and medical interventions (Germov, 2009). Therefore management in health care can be in terms of self interest. Nurses need to consider social factors when dealing with patients (Morrall, 2001). Conclusion In conclusion, there are various theories in sociology, most of which can help in describing aspects of why individuals tend to act the way they do. As discussed above, various health and illness sociologists have established how social implications influence health. Durkheim’s perspective regarding functionalism illustrates how people interact within a society. He states that interaction takes place in the society. Engels and Marx viewed society according to inequity. This means that some people are more advantageous in life than others. This is even seen in health status. According to Parsons, the sick role theory describes the society’s conditions that govern when and under what situations people are lawfully permitted to retrieve from custom, social functioning. Gofmann describes how stigma can influence health status. Social class in society is seen to influence health. However, some people argue that social factors related to social identity are the major feature in health status. References Dean, H. D., & Fenton, K. A. (2010). Social determinants of health. Washington, DC: Association of Schools of Public Health. Fein, O. (1995). The influence of social class on health status: American and British research on health inequalities. Journal of General Internal Medicine. Vol. 10, Issue 10, pp 577-586. Germov, J. (2009). Second Opinion: An Introduction to Health Sociology. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Morrall, P. (2001). Sociology and nursing. London: Routledge. Scambler, G. (2006). Sociology, social structure and health-related stigma. Psychology, Health & Medicine. Vol. 11, Issue 3. Schulz, A. J., & Mullings, L. (2006). Gender, race, class, and health: Intersectional approaches. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Taylor, S., & Field, D. (2007). Sociology of health and health care. Oxford: Blackwell Pub. Willis, K. & Elmer, S. (2007). Society, culture and health: an introduction to sociology for nurses. Retrieved on 07 May, 2012, from http://eprints.utas.edu.au/5416/1/5416.pdf Williams, G. (2003). The determinants of health: structure, context and agency. Sociology of Health & Illness. Vol. 25, Silver Anniversary Issue, pp. 131-154. Wright, E. (2003). Social Class. Retrieved on 07 May, 2012, from http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/~wright/Social%20Class%20--%20Sage.pdf Read More